2 The Warring Ones
by miss37
Summary: Jim Kirk and the crew are sent to negotiate a peace treaty between the Denobulans and the Antarans who have been warring for years. Jim's first encounter does not turn out well, but he is not ready to give up, and finds himself in the middle of a controversy that no one is sure what the true cause, or solution, is.
1. Chapter 1

THE WARRING ONES

A STAR TREK STORY

 **JUANELL HOPPER**

Jim Kirk and the crew are sent to negotiate a peace treaty between the Denobulans and the Antarans who have been warring for years. Jim's first encounter does not turn out well, but he is not ready to give up, and finds himself in the middle of a controversy that no one is sure what the true cause, or solution, is. He uses every tactic he can think of to try and bring the two sides together, and to find out the cause of the beginning of the wars, which he finds is not an acceptable task to some on the planet.

 _Why could this never work like it was supposed to?_ Jim Kirk thought as he was once again transported back to the Enterprise after trying to negotiate between two hostile races who did not want to stop fighting…or at least one of them did not. He had been trying to get the Antarans to negotiate a treaty with the Denobulans. The two had been at war for centuries, and the hatred was passed down from generation to generation. However, the Denobulans seemed to want the warring to end. They were tired of the constant battles and the death. The Antaran leader was having none of it as he did not trust the Denobulans, and they made clear to Jim who had gone to them to try and negotiate as he was ordered by the Federation. He had barely missed being pulled in two as the two tribes decided to fight over him and say that he was on their side. He had informed them that he was on neither side but that he was a neutral party in the negotiations. Then the Antarans decided that he was a hostile party in the negotiations and was on the side of the Denobulans and intended to help them destroy them. The Antaran leader had ordered Jim taken prisoner, but the Denobulans were not going to allow that and had pulled him between them for a few minutes. But Scotty had finally been able to transport him when they lost their grip.

Jim stood at the transporter as he had practically fallen off it when he appeared there. Spock was waiting for him. "I assume the talks did not go well," he said.

Jim looked at him with one of his sardonic looks. "You assume correctly," he replied. "I'm no good at this."

"I do not believe it is you, Captain, but beings who are set in their thinking and have no intention of letting anyone change them."

"Why didn't you tell me this before I went down there?"

"Because there is always a chance, Jim."

"Yeah. A chance for me to get pulled in half…or worse."

Jim left the transporter room looking like he had been definitely in a struggle. Bones joined him as he was walking down the corridor. "Well, you look about like you always do when you come back from negotiating with hostile beings who would rather die than try to get along," he said.

"Thanks, Bones," Jim replied.

"You're welcome. Hey, the next time you want to negotiate with some of these fools, why don't you take Spock with you? They might be so bored with his logical speech that they would forget to fight."

"Doctor, I find that remark offensive," Spock said.

"You would find what he used to call you more offensive and I don't see you getting angry at him."

"Bones!" Jim interrupted as he went into the turbo lift.

Spock and Bones went with him. "What exactly did they say?" Spock asked.

"Well, the Denobulans appeared to want to stop the fighting, and they tried talking peacefully to the Antarans, but the Antarans were convinced that I was on the Denobulans' side and that we were just trying to get them to let their guard down so that we could attack and destroy them. Then the Denobulans accused the Antarans of being unreasonable, and then they decided to fight over me, and I'm just glad I'm still in one piece."

"So they both just wanted to tear you in half and claim the part they got?" Bones asked.

The lift door opened and Jim walked out to go to his quarters which were close to the Bridge. "I will meet you on the Bridge, Captain," Spock said.

"I'll be there," Jim replied as he entered his quarters.

"Hey, when are you coming for your exam?" Bones asked.

"I don't know. Whenever I feel like it."

The door closed and Bones went on to the Bridge as well. "You think those species will just keep on fighting forever?" Bones asked.

"If they do not want to reach an agreement, it is likely, Doctor," Spock said. "They cannot be forced into peace."

Jim soon came to the Bridge and sat down in his chair. Spock stood on one side and Bones stood on the other. "Well, what are you going to do now?" Bones asked as they stared at the planet on the viewscreen. "Are you going to tell Starfleet that these beings are unreasonable, and stubborn and that they like war."

Jim scowled. "Something like that," he said.

"Remember, Captain, you have successfully negotiated several treaties," Spock pointed out. "The more you do, the more likely it is that some will fail. It is not a failure on your part, but of the beings who refuse to accept anything other than what they have always known."

Jim nodded. "You're exactly right, Spock. The problem with that logic is that Starfleet doesn't always think logically."

"Do you intend to try again?"

"I'm not sure."

Jim sat there a moment trying to think of a way that he could have convinced the Antarans that he was not trying to deceive them. "Maybe I should have gone to the Antarans first," he said.

"Going to a hostile species rather than the ones who want peace when you know nothing of either does not seem like the appropriate course of action," Spock said.

"I think he's saying that if you don't know anything about somebody, you can't exactly go and ask them for a treaty without finding out something first, and the best way to do that was to go to the one who wanted peace to let them tell you as much as they knew about the other," Bones interjected.

"Precisely," Spock agreed.

"I can't say that I learned a lot about the Antarans," Jim said. "The Denobulans seemed to know nothing but that they were enemies. I wonder if they really actually know what the war is about anymore."

Spock considered that, but Bones was the first to respond. "Are you saying that they have been fighting all these years and don't even know what the reason is anymore?" Bones asked. "What is this? Another Hatfield and McCoy situation?" He looked at Jim. "And, no, I wasn't related to those McCoys."

"I want to talk to the Denobulans again. I think there's a way to solve this problem if we just get them to think about it," Jim said.

"Beings who are bent on revenge or who hold grudges are not usually the most logical or the easiest to convince," Spock declared.

"Maybe we don't actually have to _convince_ them but just get them to _think_ about it. Maybe the younger ones want the war to end."

"It is possible that they would grow tired of carrying on a fighting tradition that was started centuries before their time."

"Losing friends, family." Jim leaned back in his chair as he was thinking. He smiled slightly. "That gives me an idea."

"Are you going to share that idea, Captain?" Spock asked.

Jim looked toward Chekov who was sitting at the navigation console. "Who do young beings listen to?" he asked.

Bones' mouth dropped open as he realized what Jim was thinking. "You're not serious," he said. He looked at Jim. "You are!"

"Relax, Bones," Jim said. "Maybe he can find those who want the conflict to end on both sides."

"How do you intend for him to do that? They don't look exactly like a normal human."

"Oh, I think you can help someone fix him up to look like an Antaran."

"Me? I'm a doctor, not a makeup artist."

"But you know what they look like emphatically."

Bones followed Jim as he got up from the chair. "How do I get into these things?" Bones asked.

"You have a way of worming your way into conversations," Jim replied with a smile.

Jim walked over to Chekov. "Mister Chekov," he said.

"Yes, sir," Chekov answered.

"How would you like to go on an away mission?"

"An away mission, Sir?"

"Yeah."

"Alone, Sir?"

"Will that be a problem?"

"No, Sir."

"I think the fewer there are there, the better, because too many will draw attention."

"Yes, Sir."

"Come with me. Mister Sulu, you have the con."

Jim, Chekov, Bones, and Spock left the Bridge. "Jim, are you sure this is going to work?" Bones asked. "What if Chekov gets in trouble down there?"

"Bones, relax," Jim said. "We'll keep in touch with him and transport him out at the first sign of trouble."

"But he's never done this before."

"I had never done it before when I went on my first away mission either, but now I have."

Bones rolled his eyes at that retort. "Yeah, and look how most of your negotiations go."

"That's why I'm sending Mister Chekov. Maybe he can do something in this situation that I can't. I can't disguise myself because they've seen me."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they would notice that ego right away."

"Ego? I don't have an ego…anymore."

"You could have fooled me."

"If I may say, Doctor," Spock said. "It takes a certain amount of…ego, as you call it to be able to captain a ship. If Jim were not confident, he would not be able to lead this crew into success."

Jim scowled at that and looked at Spock. "Thank you, Spock."

"You are welcome."

"I guess I can't argue with that," Bones said. "But sending Chekov down there on an away mission when he's never been on one is just…it just doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do."

"Bones, Chekov went to the academy. He's been through simulations of all kinds, classes. He knows what he's doing."

"Thank you for your confidence in me, Sir," Chekov said.

"It's not that I don't have confidence in you," Bones corrected himself.

"Chekov is the youngest officer we have on the ship," Jim pointed out, "and he's going on this mission."

They went down to the medical bay since there was plenty of room there. Jim pushed the button on the communicator. "Ensign Brandon," he said.

"Yes sir," came the reply.

"Could you report to the medical bay please?"

"Yes, sir."

Spock smiled slightly. "I think I see where you are going with this, Captain," he said.

Bones rubbed his chin. "The disguise will probably work," he said.

Jim looked at him. "Oh, now you think I know what I'm doing."

"I never said I didn't think you knew what you were doing. I just don't want anything to happen to Chekov here."

"I think everything will be fine, Bones."

Just then, the door slid open and Ensign Brandon came in. She was a black earth girl and anyone who saw her knew she was interested in beauty and makeup. As a matter of fact, she cut everyone's hair on the ship…after all, they could not go five years without being groomed. She gave the blue Starfleet uniform a very beautiful shape.

"I came as quickly as I could, Captain," she said.

"I have a very important job for you, Ensign," Jim said. "It involves your love for makeup and making everything look just right."

Ensign Brandon smiled. "I'm ready."

"I knew you would be."

Jim was sitting on the Bridge again when Ensign Brandon contacted him. "Captain, the finished product is ready for inspection," she said.

"I'll be right there," Jim replied. He stood up. "Mister Sulu, you have the con."

Jim and Spock went to the medical bay, and they were surprised at the remarkable job that Ensign Brandon had done on Chekov. "I wouldn't know it was him if I didn't _know_ it was him," Jim said, thinking that sounded kinda stupid but he was amazed.

Chekov's hair was lying down flat and slicked back like the Antarans, and Ensign Brandon had perfectly created the spots around the hairline that were a prominent feature for them. He was dressed in a red tunic with brown sleeves and collars, and it also had what looked like a cape that hung down to the mid-thigh. The pants were brown as well as the boots.

"He's color coordinated and everything," Ensign Brandon said.

"Excellent job," Jim said. "You may have to have a promotion for this."

Jim liked the variety of people he had on the ship. They all had talents for something and one never knew what they would need in a situation. "Thank you, Ensign," he said.

"I'll get back to my job now, if you don't mind, Captain," Ensign Brandon said. "Just let me know if you need any help."

"I will, and you're dismissed."

Jim walked over to Chekov. "Now that you look like one of them, you have to learn how to act like one of them," he said.

"What about my accent, Sir?" Chekov asked.

"That won't matter because they don't all talk the same anyway. At least they don't speak a foreign language. Then I'd have to send Uhura. Now, we're going to start a little education."

Chekov wondered how long he would have to wear that outfit but he supposed it was not too bad. After all, he would be trying to bring peace to a world.

The next day, they were ready to send Chekov down to the planet. "Make sure you keep your communicator hidden," Jim reminded him. "And don't act too aggressive."

"Yes sir," Chekov replied. "I would never be aggressive."

"Right. Just try to act…young. I mean, not so formal as a Starfleet officer."

"Yes, sir."

Chekov walked onto the transporter pad. "I will be in contact, sir."

"I'll be waiting," Jim replied. "Just be careful."

Jim watched as Chekov was transported down to the planet in a secret location so that no one would see. He turned and looked at Scotty. "Do not underestimate that young man," Scotty said. "He's quite a smart one."

Jim nodded. "I know." He could not help but feel guilty about sending Chekov down there alone like that as he was walking down the corridor. He intended to go back down there and try and draw some attention to himself. He went to his quarters and changed into civilian attire. As he opened the door to leave his quarters, Spock was standing there just about to ring the door chime.

"Spock, what are you doing?" Jim asked as he was a little startled.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Spock answered.

"I'm going down there to talk to the Denobulans again."

"You're worried about Mister Chekov."

Jim sighed. "I am."

"Captain, if you show him that you do not have confidence in his abilities, he may feel as though he is incapable of accomplishing anything in this mission."

"I'm not going to the Antarans, Spock. I'm going to the Denobulans. Chekov won't see me."

"Would you like myself or the doctor to accompany you?"

Jim considered that with one of his sarcastic smiles. "I'll take the doctor with me," he said. "You take care of the ship."

"Yes sir."

Bones was not thrilled when Jim told him what they were about to do. "You've got to be kidding," Bones said. "I'm a doctor, not a negotiator."

"You're sure not," Jim replied. "Now, get into some civilian clothes."

Bones went on and changed clothes. "I guess I should take a medical kit in case we get into trouble," he said.

"I don't intend to ruffle any feathers."

"OH, well, you didn't intend to ruffle any feathers the last time, but you barely made it back to the ship in one piece, remember?"

"That was different. I'm only talking to the Denobulans this time. They want peace, remember?"

"Yeah, but what if they're still mad?"

"I think they've had time to cool down by now."

They went into the transporter room. "We're ready, Scotty," Jim said. "Be ready to transport us on my signal if anything goes wrong."

"Aye, Captain," Scotty replied.

Jim and Bones walked onto the pad. "Beam us down, Scotty," Jim said.

They were soon appearing in the city of the Denobulans on the lower levels. One thing about the city was that the older part of the city was on a "lower" level than the newer part. It looked as though newer building sections had simply been built onto older ones, and there were many streets that went between the buildings. As one went lower, there was less sunlight. Where they were, the light was definitely dimmer. It was like a very cloudy day.

"Why couldn't we be up there?" Bones asked pointing to the much brighter upper levels.

"Because we didn't want anyone to see us appearing down here," Jim replied. He pulled his hood over his head as he was wearing one of the "capes" like the other inhabitants wore. "I feel like Dracula in this."

"I don't like this," Bones replied.

"Relax, Bones."

"How do you know there's not some sort of virus running rampant on this world that I've never heard of and there's no cure for humans who catch it?"

"Well, if I get bitten by Melvarian mud fleas, at least I'll know I'm safe. Where's your adventurous spirit, Bones?"

"I just don't like jumping into a place like this that we don't know much about."

"That's the whole point of space exploration."

They wound their way around to the upper levels since they did not want to use a turbo lift. "It's a nice enough city," Jim said.

"Yeah, except there are beings here who want to tear you in half," Bones replied. "I'm not sure I could repair that."

Jim thought he might as well not try to get Bones to lighten up and try to look on the bright side of anything. He had been like that ever since he met him on that transport that took them to Starfleet academy. He remembered him describing Andorian shingles, and something about his eyes bleeding. Although Bones was a cynic, he was a good doctor…and a good friend.

Jim looked around the corner of a building at all the people walking. The city was not entirely populated by Denobulans, but there were others there as well. It seemed that most of them walked wherever they went but there were vehicles that zoomed here and there, and transports as well.

"Well, let's get out there and try to blend in," Jim said.

They got out onto the street and walked along with everyone else. Jim tried to keep his face hidden so that anyone who had seen him before would not recognize him. Everyone seemed intent on getting to their destination, however. He and Bones finally came to the central plaza which had the highest skyscraper of all, and that was the government building.

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" Bones asked.

"I have to work on them to help Chekov," Jim replied. "If we work on them, and he works on the other end, maybe we can get them to meet in the middle."

"I sure hope you're right."

 _Me too,_ Jim thought. He did not have much confidence in this meeting himself.

"And I just hope they don't throw us off into the abyss."


	2. Chapter 2

Chekov had materialized in a back alley in the Antaran city. He looked at the city as he walked through. It was a lovely city, but what he noticed most was the destruction and crumbling buildings. Even the new structures looked ragged from constant battles. He could not understand why people wanted to constantly fight each other. What was wrong with letting everyone do their own thing and you do not have to like it…just leave them alone?

As Chekov walked down the street, there were pieces of stone from buildings that he had to go around. He hoped he could find where the younger people hung out in this city. He finally saw some younger boys and followed them. They went into a building that looked run down but he had heard music playing when they opened the door. He walked over to the door and went inside acting like he belonged there. He had definitely found the hangout for the younger crowd.

Chekov walked over to the bar and wondered if he should order anything. He did not know anything about the liquor on this world and he certainly did not want to get sick, so he asked the bartender what he would recommend. He soon had a concoction that he thought looked more like something out of a volcano than anything he had ever drank. It was bright orange and even fizzed a little.

Chekov went over to a table and sat to try and listen to some of the conversations around the room. He had an earpiece and pointer that could amplify whichever conversation he wanted to hear. He simply had to lay the pointer on the table and just turn it toward whatever he wanted to hear. He specifically wanted to hear the conversation of a group of young people who did not look like they were having a fun conversation, but that they were all quite upset about something.

 _I can't believe they didn't reach a treaty. They didn't give the starship captain a chance to help us._

 _They never will. They are too selfish and set in their ways. They want to keep this constant battle going over something that happened before they were even born._

 _I am tired of fighting their ridiculous battles. I wish the starship captain would have asked us rather than them._

 _He will probably never come back to this ridiculous planet. We are doomed to be trapped in these constant battles._

 _I wish we could contact him. Maybe he would take us away from here. We could join their…what is it? Starfleet?_

 _Yes, and at least if we were in a battle, we would know what it was about._

As Chekov listened, he realized just how right the captain had been. He could see why Jim Kirk was the captain. If he could not solve a problem one way, he would look for another. He wondered what Jim would do at this point. Would he try and talk to them? Would he just follow them? He was not certain. He thought maybe he would try and contact the captain and get his opinion of the situation, but he would listen more.

Jim and Bones were waiting in the government building. "I don't like this," Bones declared. "Why is it taking so long?"

"I don't know, Bones," Jim replied. "Maybe they're getting a council together."

"Or maybe they're getting a regime together and they're going to take us hostage."

"Hostage? For what? They can't threaten the Antarans with us."

"Well, maybe they just want to kill us then, and display our heads in the center of town."

Jim looked at Bones. "Lighten up, Bones. I don't think they're that brutal."

"You never know. I mean, look at this city. It's beautiful except for all the damage to the buildings from all this fighting. Why can't people who are capable of building all this have enough intelligence to just stop?"

Jim considered that a moment. "I don't know," he said. "But you have to remember that the Denobulans want to stop. It's the Antarans who don't."

"Are you going to tell them that you have someone over there spying on the Antarans?"

"Of course not. Let's just try and keep that to ourselves."

Soon, Barra, the leader of the Denobulans came out into the waiting area. He glared at Jim with his reddish eyes. "Why have you come back here?" he asked. "You have done nothing to help us bring peace to this planet."

"Look, I came back because I want to try again," Jim said.

"There is no need to try again! The Antarans have no intention of stopping the battles."

"I want to know what the reason for the battles is. What started it all in the first place?"

Barra looked at Jim a little dumbfounded. "I do not know," he said.

"So you're fighting a war that you don't even know the reason?" Jim asked. "Are there no records of what happened?"

"They may have been destroyed in the battles. We have lost many records and archives."

"And I suppose the Antarans have too?"

"Over the centuries, both tribes attacked but now it is we who are attacked because we do not want to fight. We have no choice but to fight back when they attack our city."

Jim nodded. "Where are the oldest archives located?"

"They would be located in the abandoned city. It was so battered by war that the two tribes separated and formed separate cities."

"The battles are the reason that you have built on top of lower levels here?"

"Yes. It was pointless to try and repair."

"Where is this forbidden city?" Jim asked.

"It's approximately a thousand miles to the west. When the tribes separated, they went in two directions."

"A thousand miles? Do you have a vehicle we could use?"

"You are going to the city?"

"Well, if we're going to get to the bottom of this, we have to have more information. Is the city still standing?"

"It is the way we left it. You will need a reader to interpret and to see the information. It is on disks."

Barra soon brought Jim the reader he needed. "We also have a vehicle for you to use," he said. "I am not certain what you hope to accomplish by looking at the archives."

"Sometimes if you show someone how foolish they are, they will want to change it. If there's some ridiculous reason for this constant fighting, maybe the Antarans will want to stop."

Barra nodded. Jim and Bones went out to the vehicle which was basically a small ship. "So help me, if they're fighting because someone killed someone's pig hundreds of years ago, don't bring me on anymore away missions," Bones said.

"Surely it's not anything that simple," Jim replied.

"You never know. Maybe some dignitary got his feelings hurt because someone ran over his dog."

"Bones."

"Or maybe someone's cat scratched up their vehicle, and the other refused to fix it."

They walked into the small ship that had little more than two seats to sit in. "This is like flying in a sardine can," Bones said. "Maybe they've been fighting all this time because someone refused to apologize."

Jim looked at him. "Whatever it is, we're going to try to find out," he said.

Jim looked over the controls and it was simple enough and they were soon on their way. "Suppose there's someone who doesn't want us to find out their silly reason for keeping this planet in battle for all these years?" Bones asked.

"No one knows we're going out there except Barra," Jim replied.

"And all those others who were with him."

"If anyone shows up, we'll just have to convince them that we're going to finish this mission."

"Yeah, and get right in the middle of this war. Then they'll be fighting over the fact that the others killed the peacekeepers."

"Bones, give it a rest. The Antarans don't know we're here."

"I just hope Chekov isn't causing some incident over there."

"Chekov will do fine. Relax."

Chekov had listened to a lengthy conversation that had escalated into angry summations of what they could do to destroy the ones who kept on fighting. He thought they had the instinct to fight as well as the older ones did. As they left the club, Chekov followed them to see where they went. They soon came to what looked like an old mine shaft and went inside.

Chekov did not want to go inside yet, so he turned to go back into the city, but when he turned around, there were two young Antarans behind him. "What are you doing here?" one of them asked.

Chekov was surprised for a moment. "I wanted to join your group," he said. "They are against the fighting? Right?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I am Chek."

"I haven't seen you before."

"I am new to this part of the city."

"You shouldn't be sneaking around here. It is a good way to get hurt."

"I apologize."

"Come. I will take you to Rett."

Chekov hoped he was doing the right thing but he could not break his cover now or he would not be able to try and help them.

They took him into the mine shaft and as they went deeper, they came out into a chamber that was lit up and sparkled on all sides as minerals shown in the rock. "We found him outside sneaking around."

Another of the Antarans walked over to Chekov. "I am Rett. Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Chek. I wanted to join your group."

"You are against the fighting? How do we know we can trust you?"

Chekov wondered what they would think when they found out he was not even an Antaran. They would think he had betrayed them by lying to them about who he was. He wished he could talk to the captain about the situation. He did not like making decisions such as this one. "I suppose you don't know whether you can trust me any more than you knew of each other when you first met," he said.

Rett just stared at him a moment. "I haven't met you before," he said.

"I am from another part of the city. I am tired of the fighting as well. If we try, maybe we can stop the fighting."

"They will either stop, or we will destroy them all and take our own place as leaders in this city."

"I do not think violence is the answer."

"They will not listen! They care nothing about who they hurt or who they kill."

"How did the war start?"

"I don't know. No one knows!"

"Maybe it would be wise to find out."

"I don't think that will do us any good. They're not going to listen. We have talked to them, and the starship captain talked to them." Rett stopped and just looked at Chekov a moment. "Where did you say you are from?"

Chekov knew Rett was starting to get suspicious. He had to decide if he would confess that he was from the Enterprise. "I am not an Antaran," he said. "My captain sent me here to find out how we can end this conflict. He does not want to give up and leave this planet in the chaos that has plagued it for centuries. He wants to help."

"So he sent you here to spy on us so he can warn the elders that we're plotting against them!" Rett declared.

"NO! That is not true," Chekov replied.

Rett was taken aback by Chekov's boldness. "I am here to try to help you," Chekov said. "The captain wants to find out more about your people and how we can help. Please."

"I do not know how to find out why the wars started," Rett said. "Everything has been destroyed. Our friends have died. We have nothing to remind us of those who died before because it has all been destroyed."

"Help us find out more, and we will help you. I must speak to my captain."

Chekov moved outside the cave and took out his communicator. "Captain. Come in, Captain."

Jim's communicator whistled at him. "Kirk here," he said.

"Captain, you were right about the younger Antarans," Chekov said. "I have found a group that intends to rebel against the fighting."

"Do they know who you are?"

"I had no choice, Captain. I wanted them to trust me."

"Good. Have you found out anything?"

"No. They do not know why the wars started. They just want them to stop. Their leader is Rett, and he intends to attack the older people if they do not listen to reason. He is desperate for peace."

"I'm about to be digging up old archives to find out why these wars started," Jim said. "You keep them from starting anything else and give me some time."

"You are on the planet, Captain?"

"Yes. I went to the Denobulans and found that there is an abandoned city here where the old archives may still be salvageable. If they are, we might find an end to this conflict."

"What should I do, Captain?"

"Do what you think is right, Chekov, but don't let them know what I'm doing right now. Tell them that we will do all we can to help."

"Yes sir."

"I'll get back to you."

Jim ended the transmission. He and Bones were almost to the ruins now and as they came over the next ridge they could see the city. It almost looked like the abandoned city on Kronos. "I sure hope we can find something in there besides spiders," he said.

"Spiders? You'll be lucky if it's just spiders," Bones declared.

They soon landed and closed the door of the ship. "Where should we start?" Bones asked.

"I don't know. At least it's all on the ground. Let's look for the library."

They started walking down what seemed to be the main thoroughfare of the town…or it was the biggest street. They could plainly see the scars of war on the buildings. "You really think anything's left here?" Bones asked.

"Barra said it was here," Jim said. "We're going to at least try."

As they walked down the street, it was very eerie that there were no people or anything else moving. Vines had grown up the sides of some buildings and had covered most of the front. Trees were growing everywhere in places they did not belong. It seemed the city was becoming part of the landscape as nature was taking it over once again.

"I wonder what kind of vines those are," Bones said. He could not help but worry about things like that since the time he had a severe allergic reaction from just brushing up against an unknown plant. That was when he was twelve. He supposed maybe that was why he became a doctor. He had almost died from that reaction. Now, here he was on a strange planet and he had absolutely nothing in medical equipment.

"As long as they don't try to grab me, I don't care," Jim said.

Finally, they came to a building that had the word "Library" on the front. Jim thought it surely looked like it had been through some battles. Most of the glass windows were broken out and the building looked like it was crumbling like most of the others.

They went inside after kicking out a huge portion of glass that was still in the front door. "This place looks unstable," Bones said.

"Come on, Bones. It's been standing here for years," Jim replied. "Surely there are storms on this planet."

"Yeah, and some catastrophic storm could come up while we're here and it hits this building just right, and we're buried."

"Why do I always bring you with me?"

"So you'll have someone to patch you up if you get yourself shot."

"Oh yeah."

Bones thought that last remark was sarcastic. Strange planets just made him nervous. He had only joined Starfleet because he wanted to get away from his ex-wife who took everything he owned in the divorce. He had never been quite able to get used to just setting down on some planet that they knew nothing about.

They finally came to the archives and Jim stood there a moment and stared at the shelves full of disks. "I think we're going to be here a while, Bones," he said.

"You mean the answer we're looking for is somewhere in all this?" Bones asked.

"If there is an answer. Maybe they're labeled."

Jim took one disk off the shelf and put it into the reader. "This is a book," he said.

"So some of this is just novels," Bones said thoughtfully. "Maybe the history archives are further back."

As they searched through the disks, it seemed hopeless to find one in all those. After what seemed like hours, they had not found what they were looking for. "Well, it must be somewhere else," Jim declared. "None of these have anything to do with history."

"I think this is a hopeless search, Jim," Bones said. "We don't know what we're looking for or where to find it. We could search all day and not find it."

"No. It has to be here somewhere."

"Why do you suppose Barra didn't want to come with us?"

"I don't know."

"I mean, he just gives us this reading device and sends us on this hopeless mission."

"Maybe he wanted to get rid of us."

They moved on deeper into the building and finally came to another room that had what looked like a vault, but the door was not closed all the way. Jim pulled the door open and some sort of rodents came scurrying out. He jumped out of the way as one of them ran between his legs.

They looked into the room, and could not help but notice the cobwebs. "You see that?" Bones asked.

"I see them," Jim said. He turned on his light so they could see in the dark room. He could see some sort of creatures that looked a lot like spiders, but they were bigger.

"I don't like this," Bones declared.

"Maybe they won't bother us if we don't bother them."

"Jim, those are twice as big as spiders on earth!"

Jim looked at the arachnids which made small chirping noises. They almost reminded him of that monstrosity that had chased him on Delta Vega but they were not red. They were almost black, but closer to dark brown. However, these were nowhere near that big.

They went on into the room past the critters, and then more rodents scurried out. "Jim, let's find what we're looking for and get out of here," Bones said. "I'm going to be feeling like something's crawling on me forever!"

Jim thought he might have that problem too. He was already starting to itch. "There are definitely some disks in here," he said. "They're very dusty. Why are these so much dustier than the ones out there?" He scowled at his own question. "Don't you think that's odd?"

"It looks like these would be less dusty. And why is the door left open?"

Jim blew the dust off some of the disks, and then he sneezed. "That was the wrong thing to do," he said. "Let's take these out there somewhere."

They took the two boxes of disks out of the room and went back out to the front area of the library archive. "The disks look okay," Jim said. "They're just dusty." He put one into the reader and looked at the contents. "I think we found the right thing."

"Now, if we can just find the right disk," Bones replied. He looked around them. "I don't know, but I get the feeling we're being watched."

Jim scowled as he thought he was getting the same feeling. "Maybe we should take these with us."

"I'm sure the Denobulans would like to see them."

"Me too. Let's go."

They picked up the two boxes and started out of the library but then four Denobulans came in, and they were armed. "What is this?" Jim asked. "We were about to bring these disks to your leader, Barra."

"We will not allow you to degrade our ancestors," one of them said. "The truth does not have to be known in order to stop the fighting."

"The truth is what will stop the fighting!" Jim declared. "Now lower your weapons and let's take these back."

"NO! You will give them to us. Give us your communicators as well."

Jim had no choice but to let them take them, and they took their communicators. "What do you intend to do with those?" he asked.

"We will destroy them right here, as well as your communication."

Jim watched as they set the boxes down on the floor and then started to set fire to them. "NO!" he exclaimed and tried to stop them, but one of the Denobulans sank a knife into Jim's side.

"JIM!" Bones exclaimed.

Jim cried out as the Denobulan jerked the knife back out. He looked down in shock and horror as he realized what happened. He looked around at Bones who was already coming to his aid. "What's wrong with you people?" Bones asked. "You're trying to kill someone who is trying to help you!" He eased Jim down to the floor. "If you destroy those, you're destroying your own peace!"

The Denobulans paid no attention to the doctor and went ahead and burned the disks. "You're insane!" Bones declared. "Help me get him back to our ship!"

"We will not help you."

The Denobulans walked out. "Hey! At least give us back our communicators so we can get back to our ship!" Bones said, but they just kept walking. Bones looked at Jim. "Come on, let's try to get back to our transport ship," Bones said. He heard the whine of engines starting up outside and he ran to the door and could see that they were taking their ship. "NO!" There was nothing he could do to stop them. He did not know what he was going to do to help Jim, but he knew he had to do something fast. He ran back to him. "Come on, Jim, we have to get out of here. Since this is a city, maybe there's an old medical facility here somewhere!"

Jim groaned as they started walking. "Why did they destroy it?" he asked. "Why don't they want anyone to know?"

"Like I said, I hope it's not because someone killed someone's pig or cow!"

"It must be something stupid and they're afraid they'll be a laughing stock. That means they already know the reasons."

"Then why did Barra send us out here to find it? Does he know?"

"I don't know. This hurts, Bones."

"Just come on."

Bones was afraid Jim would pass out before he could find anything to help stop the bleeding. "A thousand miles, Jim," he said with despair.

"Chekov could be in danger," Jim said. "We have to find a way. Maybe there's an old communication station around here that might work."

"I have to find some way to help you first! You're leaking like a old oil pan!"

They moved down the street as quickly as they could with Bones helping Jim stay on his feet. "Bones! Look!" Jim pointed.

Bones looked to see a communications station. "Jim…"

"If we can get in touch with the Enterprise, they can get us out of here."

"Right."

Bones hoped they were not wasting precious time by trying to get into this place. He set Jim down by the wall and kicked the glass out of the door. "Just leave me here and call them," Jim said.

Bones did not want to leave him but he went on inside and found the communication equipment. He flipped a switch and everything sparked and finally came to life. He grabbed the mic. "Enterprise! Do you read me?" he asked.

"Doctor, we read you loud and clear," Spock replied.

"I need some medical equipment down here immediately! Jim is wounded!"

"We will transport you to the ship."

"You can't! They took our badges and our communicators!"

"I will be down momentarily."

"We're in the abandoned city. It's about a thousand miles west of Denobula."

The transmission ended and Bones hurried back out to Jim who was sweating and was almost asleep. "Don't give up on me now," Bones said. "I wouldn't want to have to bury you here."

"If I die, don't bury me here," Jim replied. "Take me back to earth."

"Don't talk like that! Spock is on his way down with medical equipment!"

Spock soon arrived at the city but he had to find Jim and Bones. "Doctor!" he called.

"Over here, Spock!" Bones yelled.

Spock soon arrived at their location. Bones grabbed the medical kit and got to work immediately. Jim was asleep now and did not know when Bones stopped his bleeding and saved his life once again. "There, that patches it up," Bones said as he relaxed and sat down beside the wall of the building. He looked at all the blood on his hands. "I really thought we were going to lose him that time."

"You're an excellent doctor," Spock replied. He opened his communicator. "Spock to Enterprise."

"I read you," Scotty answered.

"Beam us up."

"Roger."

Spock held onto Jim's hand and Bones' hand and they were soon in the transporter room. Jim was starting to wake up now. "I will beam down to the Denobulan city and confront them about this," Spock said.

Jim was conscious enough to know what he said. "No," he said. "I'm going with you. They're going to see what happened, and they're going to explain why they sent us out there when they already know the answer to the problem."

"Jim, you are in no condition to go down there again," Bones said. "You have to heal first."

Jim sat up slowly. "You can go with me. Barra is going to know and see what happened, and if he had anything to do with this, we're going to get Chekov out of there and report them to Starfleet. We go down there to try and help them negotiate a treaty and this is how I get paid for it?"

Spock could see that Jim was quite angry about the situation, and he knew when he got like that, they might as well not try and talk him out of anything. "I will go along with you as well, Captain," he said.

Jim thought it was ironic that Spock only called him Captain when he knew there was no arguing with him, and had to respect his opinion. "I want to change clothes first," he said. He could definitely see how much blood he had lost since his shirt and pants were soaked in it. "Thanks, Bones."

"You're welcome, Jim," Bones replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Chekov felt like he was now part of the group he was with. They had all accepted him, even though they knew he was not an Antaran. They understood why he had disguised himself, and they hoped he could help them convince the elders to stop the wars. Chekov knew it would not be easy, but they would have to try and reason with them. He had found that it was quite difficult to reason with people who were bent on revenge. It seemed that was what most of the fighting was based on…but no one really knew what the original reason was as far as the Antarans knew.

"No one knows what the original reason for the wars was," Chekov said thoughtfully. "Are there no elders who are very old who might remember something?"

Tessa, one of the group, looked at him with realization. "Reenata," she said. "She is probably the oldest Antaran on this planet. She may know something."

"Where does she live?"

"She lives in a small village just outside this city. There are some who have moved out to the outskirts to avoid the fighting. They are tired of it too, but there just seems no way to stop it. And many of their villages have been destroyed as well."

"Can we visit them?"

"Of course. Reenata is my grandmother."

Chekov was a bit surprised by that. "Will you take me there?" he asked.

"I will."

Rett was listening to their conversation. "Why do you think it will help if the truth is known?" he asked.

"The captain believes it will help because if people realize they are fighting for revenge for something that they would not even deem important, perhaps they will stop. They are fighting over something that happened long ago."

"I suppose it is worth a try."

"Anything is worth a try."

"We will go there and we must stay there for the night," Tessa said. "It is not wise to travel at night."

"Okay," Chekov agreed.

Jim, Spock, and Bones were soon beaming down to the Denobulan city right in front of the government building. "Don't hold me up," Jim said with determination. "I'm going to walk in there and let them know how I feel about being betrayed."

Jim stood up as straight as he could although the pain in his side was still deep, and his head felt like he was walking sideways rather than straight. He walked into the building along with Bones and Spock, and they went to Barra's office. Since the Denobulans had become hostile, Jim did not care about the guards. "Take care of them, Spock," he said as two guards tried to keep him from going into the office.

"Step aside," Spock demanded, but then he grabbed them both in a Vulcan pinch and they were out cold.

"Thanks."

"You are welcome."

Jim went on into the office, and Spock and Bones followed. Barra was surprised to see them. "Captain, I thought you had gone to the archive," he said.

Jim glared at him. "Yes, you knew I went to the archive and there weren't many others who were wise to that fact," he said angrily. "Someone ambushed us out there, and almost killed me! I don't like being betrayed."

"I know nothing of an attack on you. Do you actually think I had something to do with this?"

"They destroyed the archives. Someone around here knows the original reason for all these wars. If you people don't want peace, why did you contact Starfleet to help you?"

"We _do_ want peace. I assure you, I had nothing to do with the attack on you."

"I want to know who did. You must have some idea."

Barra frowned and looked down at the floor. "It is probably my brother," he said. "He is a warrior who fights against the Antarans, and he hates it that two of his children have disappeared. He is convinced that they have been taken and killed by the Antarans."

"And you don't believe that?"

Barra shook his head. "Many of the younger generation have disappeared," he said. "They are tired of the fighting. I cannot blame them."

"Why don't you put your brother in jail? If he is going to make attempts on someone's life who means him no harm, he is highly unstable. Isn't it a crime in your city to attempt to murder someone?"

"Yes, of course."

"Laws are no good if they are not enforced," Spock said. "One's family must follow the laws as well as others."

"You don't know Marda. He would rather die than surrender."

"Then we must find a way to convince him."

"You must understand…he was raised this way. He was taught to hate."

"Well, it's time he learned another way of living," Jim declared. "We'll be in touch."

They went back outside, and as soon as they got out the door, Jim stumbled, but Spock grabbed his arm. "I need some rest while I think," he said.

"I will remain here," Spock said. "I will try to learn more about these people."

Jim nodded. He did not have the strength to argue at the moment. He and the doctor went back to the ship. Jim lay on a bed in sickbay and Bones checked him over again. "I guess you'll live to get in another fight," he said.

"Thanks to you," Jim replied.

Bones sat down beside the bed. He had been very scared that time. He took a deep breath. "So what do you intend to do?" he asked. "Are you going to contact Chekov and ask him how things are going?"

"Yeah. I'll find out what he has learned and maybe we can help through that side."

"Just remember, that's the hostile side."

Jim took his communicator out and signaled to Chekov…

Chekov heard his communicator whistle and he answered, "Chekov here."

"Mister Chekov, have you made any progress?" Jim asked.

"Yes, sir. I am on my way to visit the grandmother of Tessa. She thinks that her grandmother may know something of the reason that the wars started."

"That's great, Chekov. Have you had any trouble?"

"Not so far, Captain. They do say that it is unsafe to travel at night, however."

"You be careful. Just remember that both sides of this are hostile and things could turn ugly in a moment."

"Yes sir. I will be cautious."

"Let me know how the meeting goes with the grandmother. I would like to hear her story myself."

"I will request it, sir."

"Good luck."

"Thank you, Captain."

The transmission ended. Chekov felt honored that the captain trusted him on such an important mission…alone, with no one watching over him or telling him what he should do next. The captain actually trusted his judgment. He certainly did not want to fail.

Chekov looked around him as he followed the others to the small village. It was quite a lovely place, and was cool because of the closeness of the forest around them in this area. It seemed to be so out of place with all the technology that was seen inside the city. However, the Antaran city was not so complicated as the Denobulan city. Chekov wondered why, but he wondered if all these people had lived there together at one time. They had claimed that they split up from the old city though.

Soon, they came to a small village that was made up of small huts…or that was what Chekov would have called them. They were built of what looked like bamboo and had walls and roofs made of what looked like long grass. Chekov knew that was not quite bamboo because it was black in color, and the long grasses were red. It was definitely a colorful village. He had never seen anything like it.

"Who have you brought here?" someone asked roughly.

Tessa stopped in her tracks as they were approached by three…Chekov was surprised that there were two Antarans, but one of them was a Denobulan. He was very distinctive because of his ridges which the Antarans did not have. "This is Chekov from the star ship," Tessa said. "I brought him to visit Grandmother."

The spokesman of the three looked at Chekov. "Why does he resemble an Antaran?" he asked.

"He wants to help us. His captain tried to have a conference for peace, and they have ruined it. Now, Chekov has come to try and find another way. Do you not want peace?"

"Of course, but how do we know we can trust him?"

"He has done nothing that would suggest we should not. He wishes to speak to Grandmother to learn of the past."

The Antaran rubbed his chin as he looked at Tessa and then at Chekov. "I am Yarak," he said. "Do not trust the word of Barra."

"Why?" Chekov asked.

"Because he will only do what serves him best. If he feels that betraying your captain will keep his hide intact, he will not hesitate."

Chekov was alarmed at that information. He would have to pass it on to the captain as soon as possible. "You may proceed," Yarak said.

Tessa led Chekov over to one of the huts that was further under the trees than the others. It was shaded and cool as they entered. It was basically non-descript, but the atmosphere seemed very relaxed and friendly."Grandma?" Tessa said.

"Tessa," an old, frail voice said. "Come in."

"Hi, Grandma."

They walked over to a…rocking chair. Chekov had not seen anything like that in years either. In the chair was an old woman who was definitely Antaran. She had smiling blue eyes, and a friendly face. "Who have you brought with you?" she asked as she hugged Tessa.

"I have brought a friend, Grandma," Tessa replied. "He is from the star ship. His captain tried to negotiate a treaty with the stubborn ones, but it failed. Chekov has come to try and find another way. He wants to talk to you about the past, Grandma."

"About the wars?" the old lady asked.

"Yes. He wants to know how they started."

"Come over here, young man."

Chekov moved closer to her and she indicated a chair that was close to her so he sat down. "Where do you come from, Chekov?" the old woman asked.

"From Earth…Russia."

"You are a long way from home…no?"

"I am. We are on a mission of exploration."

"Oh, you are explorers. Curious."

"Yes."

"I am Reenata, and I have lived many years. I remember growing up with war always imminent. Always wondering when the next war would come. Wondering whether I would live to even be four years old. I remember my mother hiding and crying with me and my two older brothers. That was before they were old enough to fight. Most of them were killed before they ever reached maturity."

"But why? Do they never tell the reason?"

"I am not certain that the true reason is still remembered. Now, the wars are fought to revenge something that happened in the last war. Even if the Antarans are the ones who attack, they still believe they must take vengeance for anyone who was killed."

"So, you do not know the true reason for the beginning of the wars?"

"It was once said that a long time ago, a male Antaran fell in love with a female Denobulan, but their union was not condoned. They argued that no one had the right to tell them who to love. Therefore, they ran away together. The father of the Denobulan claimed that the Antaran had taken advantage of his young daughter, and he attacked the other village. The Antarans attacked the next time to take vengeance, and when they found the young couple, they slaughtered them both, saying that there would be no such union."

"That is a sad story. Why do they continue to fight over something that happened so long ago?"

"They are raised to hate the other and they have never stopped."

"I see." Chekov looked at Reenata. "Would you allow my captain to visit you?"

"Is this captain of yours as handsome as you?"

Chekov smiled. "I would say so."

"I would be glad to meet with him. They can come to the village tonight and join us for the evening meal."

Chekov hoped the meal would consist of something that was consumable to humans, but he would not insult her by asking. "I will tell him," he said. "Excuse me."

Chekov walked outside and signaled the Enterprise with his communicator…

"This is the Enterprise," Sulu answered. "Go ahead, Mister Chekov."

"I must speak with the captain," Chekov said.

Sulu activated the intercom. "Captain Kirk, Mister Chekov needs to speak with you, Sir," he said.

"Put him through," Jim replied. He waited a second. "Mister Chekov, you have some information?"

"Yes, Captain," Chekov said. "I have met with Reenata. She is a very old Denobulan, and she wishes to meet with you, Sir. She has some very interesting information. She says that you can come to their village and spend the evening, and share the evening meal."

Jim scowled at that. "The evening meal, huh? What exactly do they eat on this planet?"

"I do not know, Sir, but we do not have to eat it."

Jim almost laughed at that but it hurt. "Okay, Mister Chekov, let her know that we will be there. I'll bring Spock and Bones with me."

"Yes, Sir."

"Great work, Mister Chekov."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Kirk out."

Jim ended the transmission. He was still lying on a bed in sickbay. He could still tell that he had lost a lot of blood but he was feeling some better. He opened his communicator. "Mister Spock," he said.

"Yes Captain," Spock answered promptly.

"We've been invited to dinner."

"Dinner, Captain?"

"Yes. Let's try casual dress."

"I will be ready."

Bones soon came into the room where Jim was. "What are you doing sitting up?" he asked as Jim was putting his legs over the side of the bed.

"We've been invited for dinner," Jim said. "Dress casual."

"Dinner? Where?"

"Down on the planet."

"You gotta be kidding me. You're going to eat something down there?"

"We're going, Bones. Now, get ready."

"I can't believe this," Bones mumbled to himself as he went to change into something else.

Jim smiled as he went to his quarters. He sat on the bed a moment as he absolutely did not feel well, but he hoped he would not be doing anything strenuous this time. After all, what could be so strenuous about dinner?

Jim looked into his closet. He certainly did not want to wear anything yellow. He got very tired of that color sometimes. He decided he would wear a pair of jeans but not faded ones. He picked out a black shirt and dunned his leather jacket. He did not want to look like he did not care about this meeting, but he did not want to look like he was so formal that he could not blend in with a crowd either. He grimaced as his side hurt. He hoped that would not bother him too much while he was there.

As Jim was going to the transporter room, he met up with Bones who was also dressed in jeans and a dress shirt that was blue and black striped at the top, and white at the bottom. "Nice shirt, Bones," Jim commented. "What do you think our Vulcan friend will wear?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it will be anything like we're wearing," Bones replied.

"I wouldn't think Spock even owns a pair of jeans."

"Unless Uhura has picked out some clothes for him."

They were surprised when they entered the transporter room, because Spock was, indeed, wearing black jeans and a red and black shirt. "Spock," Jim said. "Did Uhura pick that out for you?"

Spock tilted his head slightly. "How did you guess?" he asked.

Jim and Bones exchanged glances as they walked on over to the transporter pad. "Are we taking weapons with us, Captain?" Spock asked.

"That might be a good idea," Jim replied. "We don't know what to expect."

Spock got phasers for them. Jim checked the charge on his and then strapped it on. "Let's just hope they don't take offense to these," he said. "But I'm not going down there unprepared."

"I think that they should understand," Spock replied.

Jim looked at Scotty. "Energize."

"Good luck, Sir," Scotty said.

Jim, Spock, and Bones were soon appearing in the village that Chekov was in. "Captain Kirk, it is good to see you, Sir," Chekov said as he greeted them.

"It's good to see you too, Mister Chekov," Jim replied. He thought Chekov looked terribly relieved that they were there. He thought he was probably glad there was someone there to make decisions besides him.

"Reenata is in her hut at this time."

"Can we see her now?"

"Yes, Captain. I am sure you will meet Yarak first."

They followed Chekov into the village, and were met with the same three who had met Chekov and Tessa. "You must be the captain," Yarak said and bowed slightly. "I am Yarak."

"James Kirk. This is Mister Spock and Doctor McCoy."

"You are here to see Reenata."

"I am. I was told that she could tell me something about how this war started."

"She can tell you many things."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"Reenata is very old, but she is still as sharp as she ever was."

"This way, Sir," Chekov said as he led Jim and the others to Reenata's home.

Tessa came out as they approached. "Is this your Captain Kirk?" she asked.

"Yes," Chekov replied. "He is here to meet your grandmother."

Jim looked around the hut as they went inside. It was warmly lit with lanterns. He had not seen anything like that in a very long time. He looked at their host who sat in a rocking chair, and he could see that she had a wizened old face. She smiled as Jim approached her.

"You must be that young, handsome captain," Reenata said.

Jim was surprised by that comment and looked at Chekov who shrugged with one of his innocent looks. "I'm Captain James T. Kirk," Jim said.

"And I'm Reenata. Have a seat, Captain."

Jim sat down. "You can just call me Jim, Ma'am."

"You know, most people around here call me Grandma."

Jim smiled. "I bet they do."

"You're looking for answers to a problem that isn't even yours. Why?"

Jim considered that question. "Because I'm part of Starfleet and it's what we do. We try to help worlds find a peaceful solution to problems if we can. Besides that, I enjoy helping people."

"You're looking for answers to our problem."

"Yes. Negotiating with the two sides didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to."

Bones snorted quietly at that as he sat next to Jim. Jim leaned back on the chair as his side was starting to feel uncomfortable. He put his hand on his side and tried not to look like he was in pain. Of course, Bones noticed that but he said nothing.

Reenata told them the story that she had told Chekov before. "And no one has ever questioned why the two sides hated each other?" Jim asked.

Reenata shook her head. "They are consumed by hatred. If they found that we live here with Denobulans, they would be very upset."

"Why do they not know it already?"

"They are more interested in planning their next battles than looking into villages. They have developed technology now that helps them to cure themselves of their wounds, but many still die."

"Denobulans attacked me when the doctor and I went to the archive library," Jim said. "We were only trying to help, but they said we would not degrade their ancestors."

"Oh! They've degraded themselves. This useless war is known all over the galaxy. If they only knew that beings are laughing at them everywhere for their stupidity."

Jim considered that. "Maybe that's an idea," he said. "If they think no one knows about their wars, they should…" He looked at Spock with one of his _I have an idea_ looks.

"This conflict is well-known in the universe," Spock said. "It has been talked about, and even discussed in Starfleet Academy, but the reasons were never truly known until now."

"I remember hearing about it," Jim said as he looked at Reenata. "It's no secret that they fight all the time."

"Well, that just puts a hole in their bag, doesn't it?" Reenata asked.

"Looks like it. How could we prove to them that it is known throughout the galaxy?"

"I'm sure you'll figure that out, Captain. Now, let's go outside. They're preparing a big feast out there."

Reenata stood up and got her cane. They followed her outside and there had been a huge fire built in the middle of the village, and there was a beast roasting over it. Jim thought it smelled almost like beef cooking…almost. He had never smelled anything quite like it or seen anything quite like it. He swallowed hard as he thought about the last time he ate some food that he had never eaten before.

"Stomach feeling upset?" Bones asked quietly.

"Bones."

"Don't worry. I'm always around to give you something for it."

Jim rolled his eyes at that. He knew it was considered rude for he, as the captain, to refuse a meal that was given to him. He looked at Spock. "Well, Mister Iron Stomach, are you going to try it?" he asked.

"Alien foods do not propose a problem for me, Captain. As you know, Vulcans…"

"Okay, Spock. Let's try not to offend our friends here."

"I have no intention of causing any offense, Captain."

Jim wondered how Spock could say everything in a philosophical way, no matter what it was. "I don't either, but I'm afraid my stomach will be offended later," he murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

The evening's events began with a ritualistic dance that Jim thought was very interesting, as did Spock. "How do they bend their neck like that?" Bones asked. "They must have terribly elastic tendons, or maybe the vertebra…"

"Bones, please don't give us an anatomy lesson," Jim interrupted. "Just watch."

Bones folded his arms but he could not help but think of anatomy as he watched the dance. He could not bend like that, and he was sure Jim could not either, and he was positive that Spock could not with his stiff nature.

After the dance, Reenata began telling a story. Jim and the others listened intently as she told of a young Antaran girl who had met up with a young Denobulan boy. They became friends, but then another war came. He was required to fight, and was killed in that war.

"She supposed he was killed by someone whom she was related to, or by someone she called her friend…"

"She is speaking of herself," Tessa whispered to them.

Jim frowned. He wondered why no one had ever come to the realization that constant war only brought more heartache. "I'm going to do everything I can to help stop this conflict."

After the story, it was meal time. Jim swallowed hard. He could not help but remember the last time he ate strange meat. He had been sick for days, but he, Bones, Spock, and Chekov got in line. "Captain, are we required to eat?" Chekov asked quietly.

"No, you're not, Mister Chekov," Jim replied. "I'm the captain."

"Jim, it would not be uncouth for you to explain to them that…" Spock began.

"I'll be fine, Spock."

"But, Captain, if you are sickened by this meal, it could make our mission here more difficult."

"Relax, Spock. Even you're always throwing the Prime Directive in my face, and protocol."

"I have not meant to be _throwing it in your face,_ Jim. I have simply tried to…"

"I know, Spock. You're my first officer, and you're supposed to make sure I don't do anything stupid."

"I would have used a different term, Jim, but yes."

They were soon at the front of the line. Bones looked over Jim's shoulder as he was taking a piece of the meat. "Doesn't look too bad," Bones said almost right in his ear.

"Don't comment on everything, Bones," Jim replied.

"What do you suppose that next dish is?"

"I don't know, but I guess it won't hurt to at least taste it."

"You never know. This species might have some enzyme in their gut that keeps…"

"Bones. No talk about the gut or any other body functions. That's an order."

Jim went on to the next dish that almost looked like worms in potatoes but he got some of it anyway. The next one looked almost like broccoli but the little green things were much larger. Then there was some sort of fruit…or that's what he thought it looked like. He had never seen a fruit like it. It was red and yellow, and shaped like a pear, but it had been peeled and sliced in a half, and there was something in the middle where the pit would have been. Jim got one of those and went to sit down. He selected a drink from the table as well and he was seated next to Reenata.

Bones sat down next to Jim, much to the disapproval of Spock who reminded him that he outranked him. "I'm sitting beside my friend if you don't mind," Bones said quietly.

Spock did not want to create a scene so he sat down on the other side of Bones. They looked at Jim who was staring at his plate with a look of dread. He realized they were looking at him. "What?" he whispered.

"You're the captain," Bones said. "You take the first bite."

"It is not in protocol that the captain has to taste new foods first," Spock pointed out.

"Who said anything about protocol?"

"You guys knock it off," Jim said. "This is bad enough without all that."

Bones watched as Jim took a bite of the meat. He squeezed his eyes shut at the taste and tried to hide his face from Reenata. "Is it that bad?" Bones whispered.

"It's worse," Jim replied and drank some of the liquid, but that felt like fire going down his throat. He almost gagged but he managed to swallow it.

"It's good, right?" Reenata asked.

Jim managed to smile. "It's very tasty," he said, trying not to gag.

"Wait till you taste the Anta fruit. It's delicious."

Jim hoped it was sweet or something besides spicy. Bland would be just fine with him right now. He started to look around at Bones but as he turned he was almost face to face with him. "What are you doing?" he asked as he was a bit startled.

"It didn't burn a hole in your esophagus, did it?" Bones asked.

"I don't think so. Wouldn't that hurt?"

Jim took a deep breath and wanted to hold his nose as he took another bite. "So, you said that we should not trust Barra," Spock said since the captain was occupied.

"Yes," Reenata replied. "He only does what is good for him. He is a traitor."

"Then why is he the leader of the Denobulans?"

"He cheated his way into power by making the people think he wanted what was best for them, and that he would try to bring peace. He has done nothing but try to take control and get what he can out of being the Supreme Governor."

"There was no election?"

"Only by the so-called _elders._ "

"They intend to keep a leader who will not stop them from fighting. Then why did he send the captain and the doctor out to find those files?"

"I am sure he thought they would run into trouble with the Antarans before he could get out with them, and was most likely watching them the whole time."

"I told you I felt like we were being watched," Bones said.

"If he thought they were going to get away with the files, he sent them to stop them."

Jim put his hand on his side as he could feel how they stopped them. It was still very sore. He was not sure this food he was eating was going to help anything but he thought he was starting to get used to the taste. He noticed that Spock was eating it without any problems.

Jim was glad he did not get a big piece of the meat. He did not think he could choke down anymore of that. He had taken a bite of the…potatoes? He did not think it was potatoes, but it looked like yellow potatoes with something that looked like worms in it. He looked at Bones who was watching to see if he was actually going to eat that.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this," Jim said.

"I'm just wondering how much you're going to eat," Bones replied.

"Why don't you try some?"

"I'd rather not." Bones looked at Spock. "He doesn't seem to be having any problems."

"Who can decipher the Vulcan anatomy?"

After the meal, everyone sat around the fire. "What are we doing tomorrow, Captain?" Spock asked.

Jim shook his head. "I intend to confront Barra," he said. "The key to this problem is through him if he can get a backbone and do what he should."

"What if he does not want to listen?"

"I'm sure he won't but I'm going to let him know that their conflict is well-known throughout the galaxy."

"You intend to embarrass him?"

"I don't know."

Jim held his side again. "Are you okay, Jim?" Spock asked.

"I'll be fine, Spock," Jim replied. "It just hurts."

"I am not certain that you are ready for another conflict."

"I don't intend to get into anymore scraps with anyone over this."

"You must remember that this is a hostile species and they do not intend to change."

"I remember, Spock."

The fire died down and everyone drifted off to bed. Jim rolled out his…sleeping bag, or the Starfleet equivalent of one. Instead of inflating it, he lay down on it like it was. He lay there with one of his hands behind his head and the other on his side. He looked up through the trees at the stars. It was so different looking at them this way than looking at them through a viewport. Sometimes he wondered if he could see Earth and just did not know which it was. He grimaced as he thought his stomach was starting to protest about that meal he ate. He thought that drink had given him a little buzz as well.

Bones rolled out his own sleeping bag and inflated it. He did not want to sleep on the hard ground. "This is worse than camping in the Kentucky hills," he said. "How do we know whether there are wild animals out there waiting to have us for dinner?"

"Relax, Bones," Jim said, knowing that it would do no good to say that. "No one said anything about it."

Bones lay down and pulled a blanket over himself. Spock lay down on the other side of Jim, and Chekov was on the other side of Bones. "I remember camping when I was a kid," Jim said. "I would lay there and pick out star formations. I always had trouble with the Little Dipper."

"I had trouble with all of them," Bones replied. "Except Orion and the ones that were obvious. I mean, who named these things? Someone looked up one night and said _Oh, that looks like a Big Dipper?_ "

Jim scowled at that cynicism. "Probably."

"Studying the stars is quite pleasant," Spock said. "After all, if we were not interested in them, we would not be on this mission."

"Well, it _is_ relaxing, but fun too. I wonder if they name anything here on this planet."

"I wonder if they ever look up at them."

Jim considered that. "Are they really looking around them and enjoying their surroundings? Or are they constantly thinking about their next battle?"

"I would be worried out of my mind if I lived on this planet all the time," Bones declared.

"It is not a very pleasant place to live," Chekov said. "But there are nice people here."

Jim nodded. "There are, and they're caught up in this conflict and they want out of it."

Jim grimaced. "Bones, I think I need that treatment now before I _really_ need it."

Bones sat up. "I wish you had said something before I got comfortable." He got his medical kit and took out a hypospray.

"Does it have to be an injection?"

"Yeah, so it will be quick."

Jim grunted as he injected him in the neck. "I hate that," he said.

Bones smiled. "Yeah I know."

Jim just looked at him as he lay back down. "You have to have the worst bedside manner I've ever seen," he said.

"Thanks."

They were all silent. Jim looked up into the stars again. They had been in space approximately three years now. Sometimes it seemed like it had been forever, but then again, it did not seem like very long. He enjoyed being in space most of the time. He had never liked being at Starfleet headquarters because he felt like everyone was watching him and judging him. He supposed he would be put in an office eventually…but maybe not. He finally began to drift to sleep and he thought he heard someone talking, maybe arguing, but he could not make out what they were saying…

During the night, Jim was suddenly awakened by someone screaming. He sat straight up but then he grimaced at the pain in his side, and his stomach did not like it very well either. Bones and the others sat up too. Then they heard the scream again. They got up as there was movement around Reenata's hut. Others were stirring as well, and then they saw several Denobulans coming into the camp.

"We have no quarrel with you!" one of the Denobulans from the camp said. "Go back to your city and leave us alone!"

"We will not allow you to continue to betray us with the enemy!"

Jim was shocked and surprised as one of the invaders shot the Denobulan who spoke. He drew his own phaser, making sure it was on stun. "Drop those weapons!" he said as Spock and the others also drew their phasers.

That action seemed to bring the whole area into chaos as the intruding Denobulans opened fire. Jim threw himself behind a tree for cover. He could hear people screaming and everyone was running and trying to get out of the way of what seemed to be turning into another battle in the ongoing war. Spock made his way over to Jim. "Captain, what do you suggest we do?" he asked. "This war is not our business."

"Yes it is!" Jim argued. "Starfleet sent us out here to try and get a peace treaty between these two, so yes, it is our business."

"They are attacking this camp for no reason."

Jim was trying to think as he saw Chekov trying to get Tessa to safety, and then he went down as he was hit by a laser blast. "Chekov!" Jim yelled. He left his hiding place, firing as he went. He hit two Denobulans and finally made it to Chekov. He got him up and into the edge of the woods.

Spock was right behind him as they were looking to see how badly Chekov was hurt. Jim took out his communicator. "Kirk to Enterprise! Beam Chekov and the doctor directly to the medical bay! Now!"

"Yes, Captain," Sulu answered.

After Chekov was gone, Jim turned his glare toward the Denobulans who were attacking the camp. "We're going to capture one of them," he said. "We're going to find out who is behind all this."

Jim saw one of the Denobulans entering a hut, and he sprang into action. He tackled the being as he jumped through the door of the hut. They were in a desperate struggle. Spock was working at discouraging the other attackers.

Jim could definitely feel that pain in his side now as he struggled with the Denobulan who certainly did not give up. Jim punched him and tried to trip him but the Denobulan narrowed his eyes in what seemed like realization and then he hit Jim right in his sore side. He could not help but cry out but with that distraction, he managed to trip the Denobulan, and then he grabbed his phaser. "Don't move," he said. "I want to know who sent you here."

The Denobulan just glared at him. "What's your name?" Jim asked, but he still did not get an answer. "You're going to give us some answers."

Suddenly, Spock came through the door of the hut. "The other attackers have fled into the woods," he said.

"We have this one," Jim said. "See what you can do to get some answers out of him."

Jim held his phaser against the Denobulan's head while Spock began a mind-meld. "NO!" the Denobulan yelled.

"Don't move," Jim warned. "You've attacked a camp of innocent people, and I won't have any qualms about ending your reign of terror."

The Denobulan looked thoroughly frightened. Jim waited while Spock found out what he could. When he was done, he stood up and just looked at the Denobulan. "His name is Raynor," he said. "I must speak with you, Captain."

"Let's make sure everyone is okay first," Jim replied. "Get this guy up, and if he makes any threatening moves, shoot him."

They left that hut with the prisoner. The others in the camp were gathered in the center. Reenata was among them, and Tessa was at her side. They stood over three of their friends who had been killed in the attack. Jim went over to them. The three who were dead were among the ones who had first greeted them when they entered the camp.

Reenata looked up at Jim. "It never stops," she said. "I have spent more of my life grieving than I have being happy about anything."

"I'm sorry," Jim replied. "It shouldn't be that way."

Spock came up to them with the prisoner. "Why did you not kill him!" one of the Antarans asked. "He and his attackers have killed three of ours!"

"We captured him to find out who he is working for. We have to get to the center of the problem before we can solve it."

"How will you find this information? I will gladly torture him!"

"No. We don't torture people."

"Do not be so angry, Froda," Reenata said.

"All you ever talk about is peace!" Froda said. "And it has never come!"

"But we have more help now."

"What can they do?"

"We're still working on that," Jim said.

"Our sleep is over for now," Reenata said. "Let's make another fire."

Jim scowled at that. He remembered that the Denobulans only slept 144 hours per year. However, he definitely had to have more than that. Right now, he wanted to sleep more.

While they built another fire, Jim and Spock moved over away from the others. "Captain, as I melded with the Denobulan's mind, I found that he had an overwhelming sense of fear," Spock said. "Fear combined with uncertainty, and an anger and hostility like I have never encountered."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when you're raised to be that way," Jim replied. "What else?"

"He was terribly afraid of me, and you, but he is more afraid of Barra."

"Why?"

"I am not certain. I am assuming that Barra sent them to attack this camp, perhaps because they knew we were here."

"How would they know that?"

"That is a question that needs an answer, Captain."

"Either they're tracking us somehow or someone in this camp is informing them."

"That means that whatever course of action we decide to take should be kept between us."

Jim looked toward the others in the camp who were all gathered around the fire, which seemed to be where everything was discussed. "So who is betraying this camp? And why would the Denobulans request a mediator if they had no intention of reaching a peace agreement?"

"There is no guarantee that Barra requested the negotiation, Captain."

"Why do I suddenly feel like I am totally on the outside of the loop?" Jim asked.

"If that means that you are not in the situation that you thought you were in…I would say that we have all been deceived."

"Well, I'm getting to the bottom of this. Just give me a minute."

"Yes, Captain."

Spock moved back out toward the fire. Jim squeezed his eyes shut in a grimace, and almost sunk to the ground at the pain in his side. He groaned silently, trying not to let anyone else know of his discomfort. He knew that Denobulan had known about his previous injury and targeted it purposefully to hurt him. He had to get a hold on the pain, and he hoped it had not reopened something in there. Bones was on the ship caring for Chekov now. He moved further over into the woods and threw up everything he had eaten before that was left in his stomach. He leaned on a tree and just breathed a moment.

After a few minutes, Jim walked over to all the others who were around the fire trying his best to keep a hold on that pain, and try not to let it show. "Who requested the mediator?" he asked. "I know it wasn't Barra, but he went along with it because of image."

Rett stepped forward. "It was me," he said. "I knew Barra would take credit but I thought maybe it would bring a peaceful solution anyway."

"So you dragged us into the middle of this war thinking that we were trying to negotiate a treaty," Jim said.

"I'm sorry. I thought if the two sides could get together and talk, it would wake them up."

"I understand your desperation but now we're stuck, and there's a traitor here."

Everyone looked very surprised. "Why do you say this?" Reenata asked. "No one here would betray us."

"Someone here has been informing Barra of what we have been doing," Jim said. "No one knew we were here except the people who are here right now."

Reenata was shocked at this revelation. "They have attacked us before," she said.

"But this time, they attacked out of fear of what we were going to do."

Spock was watching the others as Jim talked to see who was looking guilty. Everyone seemed to be listening to what Jim had to say…except one who was looking quite angry.

Spock began moving around the crowd and finally came to stand right next to the agitated member. The Denobulan looked at him. "You don't seem to be very happy about this meeting," Spock said.

"What makes you say that?"

"There are ways to tell if someone is happy. Since you are standing here with your arms folded and are frowning, looking at Captain Kirk with a glare, it is logical to believe that you are not at all happy about his presence here."

The Denobulan just stared at him a moment but then started to run. However, Spock caught him before he could get into the forest. He walked him back over to Jim. "I believe this is our traitor," Spock said.

Reenata was surprised which was evident by the look on her face. "Tradax, you wouldn't dare," she said.

"I would!" Tradax said. "Denobulans and Antarans living together! It's despicable."

"They used to live together, and they will again. There are too many of us."

"You can't stop it. There are more of us than you!"

"We shall see."

Reenata walked over to Jim. "We will overthrow the government," she declared. "Will you help us, James T. Kirk?"

Jim was surprised by that declaration and that question. "Captain…" Spock began, but he stopped with a look from Jim.

Jim knew he was just going to bring up the Prime Directive. They were so far from Starfleet, however. He was not sure what they would do if they helped these people overthrow their government. "I have to confer with my crew," he said finally.

"You will not help us?" Reenata asked.

"It's not that simple," Jim replied. "We have a guide that we have to go by to handle situations. It's like rules, and we're not really allowed to interfere by helping overthrow a government."

"Even when it's the right thing to do?"

Jim just looked at her a moment. He was not sure how to answer that. "Like I said, I have to talk to my crew, especially my first officer. However, we will escort this prisoner back to Barra, and let him know that we have figured out his plan."

"Very well."

"We'll take him back to our ship as a prisoner until morning."

"We will wait to hear from you."

"And you will."

Jim and Spock stood away from the others. "Be careful," Jim said.

"Do not worry about us," Reenata replied. "I did not live to be an old woman by being careless."

Jim smiled. "You're quite a character."

"So are you, James Kirk."

Jim nodded to her and then he told Scotty to beam him, Spock, and the Denobulan to the ship. When they arrived, Jim felt relieved. "Take him to the brig," Jim said. "And come to sickbay. I'm going to check on Chekov."

"Yes, Captain," Spock replied.

Jim held his side as he walked down the corridor to sickbay. He thought he might let Bones look at his wound again while he was in there. It certainly hurt and felt terrible since that Denobulan hit him.

Bones was checking Chekov's vitals when Jim walked in. "How is he, Bones?" Jim asked.

"He's going to be fine," Bones replied.

"I need you to look at this wound. One of those Denobulans were among the ones who attacked us because he knew about my wound. He hit me."

"In that wound?"

"Yeah."

"Lay down there."

Jim lay down on a bed with a groan. Bones looked at the wound. "Sure is a lot of bruising," he said as he scanned the wound.

"I have a hard decision to make, Bones," Jim said.

"When do you not?"

"Yeah, but this one is more difficult than most. If we help them, we'll be violating the Prime Directive. If we don't help them, a lot of people are liable to get killed, and they may never be free of the chaos." Jim sighed.

"It's not our business, Jim."

"I know, but what if it was us, Bones? Wouldn't you want someone to help you?"

"There's no guarantee that you can help them. Even if you tried, they're so used to war, they might never stop."

"But they want to stop."

"Some of them do. Not all."

Jim thought as he lay there and rested. He was not one who could just turn away from someone who needed help, if he could help them. It was like Nibiru. Even though he knew he was breaking the Prime Directive, he could not just leave those people to die when there was something they could do to help them. He wondered where the humanity was in that. How could one just turn their back when they could save someone from dying? Was that not what his father had done? Gave his life for his crew? And he, himself, had almost done the same thing after their confrontation with Khan. This was a lot more complicated than that, however. This was a civilization that was consumed in an ongoing civil war.

He would think of something…


	5. Chapter 5

Spock secured the prisoner and then headed for the medical bay. As he entered, he found that Jim was sleeping. "How is Mister Chekov?" he asked.

"He'll be fine," Bones replied.

"And the Captain?"

"He's too stubborn not to be okay."

"I fail to see how stubbornness contributes to one's well-being."

Bones rolled his eyes. "Okay. Well, some people are just so full of determination that nothing gets them down, and they overcome adversity and sickness and injury just because they're determined that they're not going to keep lying around doing nothing."

Spock considered that a moment. "I assume he's only resting," he said.

"Yeah. He needs to. He really hasn't rested since he got that injury."

"He has time. I will return soon, Doctor."

Spock left the medical bay and went to the Bridge. He thought about the situation they were facing. Many times, he and Jim had clashed over the Prime Directive, and Jim had tried to get him to think of the consequences of always following it letter by letter. However, he had never been one to break rules because it was not logical. Jim absolutely did not think logically…but ethically. He realized that Jim had a strong sense of duty, of wanting to right all the wrongs in the galaxy. He never gave up until he found the solution to a problem, and he knew that Jim would go even so far as to give his life for his crew. Although he did not understand Jim's actions at times, he was usually right. It was why he had become a Starfleet captain at such a young age.

Jim woke up when he turned over onto his side and realized he was still in the medical bay. He sat up. "How long have I been in here?" he asked.

"Long enough for me to be about to wake you up and tell you to get out," Bones replied. "About two hours."

Jim stretched. He had thought about whether he would try to help the Denobulans…or Antarans, overthrow that government. It was both sides who wanted to overthrow. He thought maybe one of them should just go to another planet and then maybe their controversy would be over, but that was not what they wanted to do. He realized the similarities between the Antarans and the Denobulans. He wondered if there was a common ancestry, and maybe there were some who did not have the ridges and were considered "different", and became another tribe. It seemed that they all had the spots around the hairline, but only the Denobulans had the ridges.

Jim got off the bed just as Spock came back into the medical bay. "Are you rested, Captain?" he asked.

"Yes," Jim replied. "I've been thinking…don't you think there's a distinctive resemblance between the Denobulans and the Antarans?"

"Yes, Captain. It would seem that they are more alike than they think."

"I agree. How do we get them to see that?"

"I am not certain. However, I have been thinking about this conflict. I am not certain what we can do to help them any further."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Captain, your duty is to the crew of this ship."

Jim looked directly at Spock. "I know what my duty is, Spock, but if we can help them, don't you think we should…just because it's the right thing to do?"

"You believe it is the right thing to do," Spock said seeming to ask a question but not quite.

"We could at least get them started."

"Jim, this is a culture that is quite experienced at war. I do believe that they are capable of starting their own battle, and I am sure they have the bravery to confront their enemy head on." Spock tilted his head slightly. "I have a feeling that you want to be involved because you want to know the outcome."

"I do. Even you helped me on Nibiru. Why did you risk your life to go into that volcano?"

"You asked me to do it and…"

"Spock. Wasn't there some tiny part of you who thought it was the right thing to do?"

Spock paused a moment. "I will admit that I wanted to save that species from being destroyed before they even had time to develop."

"Is that your logical way of agreeing with me?"

"Yes, Captain, I suppose it is."

"Great. Then how do we help them?"

"We could act as mediators again, and deliver the message to Barra that he will be overthrown if he does not concede to the will of the people."

"If we do that, he may attack them."

"Then we should prepare them for such an event before we deliver the message."

"You're right. I'll meet you in the transporter room."

Jim went to his quarters and changed into his blue uniform that he wore now when he was off the ship. He had worn it on Altamid after the Enterprise was destroyed and they landed there in escape pods. He had not had much time on Altamid because of the situation, but it had been a strange world…and quite beautiful. The forest had looked almost like they were walking on the ocean floor and had creatures that looked like jellyfish floating in the air. He had wondered if they stung like jellyfish but had not had time to find out. There were other things growing there that looked like they should be under an ocean as well. He wished he had gone back there and explored it more but all they had wanted to do was get away from there after they defeated Krall. It had been a hard struggle to say the least, and they had just been lucky that the Franklin had been on the planet, and that Jaylah had been working on it.

When Jim was dressed, he went to the transporter room where Spock was waiting and dressed in a similar uniform to Jim's but it was gray and blue. "What is your plan, Captain?" Spock asked as they stepped onto the pad.

"First we're going to talk to Reenata and get her to let us try and negotiate again, and then…we'll just have to go with whatever happens after that," Jim replied.

Just then, Bones came into the transporter room. "I can't believe we're going back down there," he declared as he got on the pad as well.

"Relax, Bones. I don't think we'll be running into the same trouble as we did before."

"Great. You don't _think_ we'll be shot at and stabbed again."

"Beam us down, Scotty."

They were soon at the camp of Reenata. Tessa came over to them as soon as they arrived. "How is Chek?" she asked.

"He's going to be fine," Jim answered. "Our doctor is very good at what he does."

"Grandma is waiting for you."

They followed Tessa to Reenata's hut and went inside. "Come in, Captain," Reenata said. "Sit down."

Jim sat down in the chair beside hers again. "What have you decided?" she asked.

"I would like you to give us a chance to take a message to Barra," Jim said. "I want to give him a chance to concede."

"Oh, he will not concede."

"But we'll warn him that he faces being overthrown if he doesn't."

"Do you really think that will work?"

"I don't know but we have to try. It'll be up to you what you do after this."

"We will give you the chance, but it is the last one, Captain. I would be careful if I were you."

"I intend to."

Jim, Spock, and Bones went outside. "Jim, this is just plain crazy!" Bones said quietly. "What kind of reaction do you think he's going to have when you tell him something like that?"

"We have to try, Bones," Jim replied. "Let's go."

"Are we walking all the way up there?"

"Of course not." Jim contacted the Enterprise and they were beamed to the Denobulan city. Jim knew he would have to confront Barra and let him know that he was aware of his treachery. But they would also have to visit the Antaran city. The Antaran leader had been quiet since the mediation. He hoped that did not mean that they were planning to attack the Denobulans. If they did, they would be right in the middle of it.

Jim, Spock, and Bones went on into the city and walked down to the government building. They got some questioning looks as well as some angry looks as they went. There were also guards on street corners and walking along the streets. Jim did not know what all the people in this city wanted. Did they want the wars to stop, or did they want to continue in the way they had been living?

They arrived at the government building and went inside. Two guards met them. "You are not welcome here!" one of them said.

"We came here to see Barra," Jim replied. "And we're going to see him."

"Not if we do not wish you to see him!"

"Tell him we're here. We have a message to deliver."

The guard glared at Jim, but he went to tell Barra that they were there. When the guard returned, he took them to see Barra who did not look happy that they were there. "Why have you come here again?" he asked.

"We have a message from the village," Jim said. "If you do not reach a peace agreement, there is going to be an uprising that will overthrow you and your government."

"Are you threatening me? You have no rights in this matter!"

"I'm telling you what the people want! They're tired of this constant war and they want peace! We all know that you betrayed them. You had no intention of reaching an agreement. I also know that you were behind the attack on me at the archive and on the attack at the village last night. You've also had a spy in the camp who is now a prisoner on our ship. You're committing war crimes, and I have grounds to arrest you."

Jim thought Barra might explode with rage as his face turned red. "Leave this planet! I will not reach an agreement with those traitors!"

"They are not traitors! You are!" Jim declared. "How can you attack your own people?"

"They're not my people! Denobulans and Antarans living together in the same village! I will not live with Antarans!"

"Your time is limited. And I happen to know that Antarans and Denobulans share a common ancestry. Denobulans consider the Antarans outcasts, and that's why they don't want to reach an agreement as well. You see them as inferior."

"They are inferior!"

Jim could see there was no reasoning with Barra. "You've been warned."

With that, Jim, Spock, and Bones left the government building. "Jim, we have not had any contact from the Antaran government," Spock said. "The logical reason is that they are planning to attack."

"I agree, Spock, but we can only do one thing at a time," Jim replied. "We're going there next."

Jim contacted the Enterprise and had them transport them to the Antaran city. He had not been there as Chekov had come there first. He now had to meet with the Antaran leader, Beedro. Beedro had been quite hostile at the mediation, although he had agreed to meet. However, Jim now realized that Barra had seemed to try and draw Beedro into an argument.

"I don't like this," Bones said as they neared the government complex. "What if they just shoot us?"

"I don't think they will, Bones," Jim said.

"Although these people are quite hostile, they seem more bent on killing each other rather than those from outside," Spock pointed out.

"Oh?" Bones said with surprise. "What about the fact that Jim almost bled to death because they stranded us down there in that old city?"

"But they did not do it there in the city where it would be seen."

Jim rubbed his side as he could definitely remember the pain of that wound. "Let's just try to be positive," he said. He knew he was in a volatile situation, but he did not intend to start up a battle right there.

They went on into the government building and were met by guards there, but this time there were five guards. "I want to see Beedro," Jim said. "I'm here to talk to him."

The lead guard just stared at him a moment. "You come with me," he said. "The others stay here."

Spock was ready to protest, but Jim stopped him by shaking his head slightly. He knew Spock well enough to know that he would object to such a situation. Spock complied but he did not like it, and the doctor's dislike for it was clear on his face.

Jim went on down the corridor with the guard as Spock and Bones stayed in the waiting area. "They just separated us from our captain," Bones said. "I don't like this, Spock."

"It is not likely that they would attack the captain here," Spock replied. "He is simply here to talk to Beedro."

"Oh yeah, and tell him that if he doesn't reach a peace agreement, there's going to be an attack to overthrow him. That's a threat, Spock."

"Try to have a little…faith, Doctor."

Jim entered the office where Beedro was looking out the window. He turned as they entered. "Why are you here, Captain Kirk?" he asked. "I have nothing more to say to the Denobulans."

"Look, I know that meeting didn't go very well," Jim said. "But it was the first one. You have to keep trying. Aren't you willing to try again?"

"I never wanted that meeting in the first place."

"You would rather keep on fighting for a hundred more years? Just look at your city!"

"It is not your concern, Captain Kirk! You will leave here, and forget that you even saw this planet, but we have to live on it."

"How can you raise your children in a place like this and not at least try to make it better?"

"You talk of peace, but you carry a weapon strapped to your side, Captain. Your words do not match your actions."

"I carry a weapon because there are other hostile people. I only use a weapon for self-defense. I came to warn you that the people are tired of the constant battles and that they are going to rebel. They're going to overthrow you."

Beedro's frown deepened even more. "And you intend to help them?" he asked.

"No, I…"

"You are planning to start a rebellion to get your way on our planet!?"

"No, that is not…"

"Take him into custody!"

"Wait!" Jim said, but the guard aimed his weapon at him. He grabbed his communicator. "Spock, Bones, Run!"

Spock was surprised at that message, but he and Bones did not take the time to consider what it might mean, they got out the door before the guards could react. "What about Jim?" Bones asked.

"When the captain says to run, we move," Spock replied. "We will figure out a way to rescue him."

Jim was not so easily taken. He met the guard with a punch and they were in a struggle. The guard returned his punch, and Jim thought it rattled his teeth, but he was trying to get the upper hand as the guard was trying to get his weapon back. Jim grabbed him around the neck and pulled him backward but he got an elbow to his sore side. He almost lost his grip but he strained to squeeze the guard tighter.

Jim's efforts were futile because the other four guards came into the room. He rolled away from his opponent, and grabbed his weapon out of the sheath, but he was facing four other weapons now. "Drop your weapon, Captain!" Beedro said. "Or you will be taken by force."

Jim stared at them a moment as he was in a standoff with his one weapon against four others. "Look, I did not plan any rebellion," he said. "I came here to tell you what the people have said."

"You are on the side of the Denobulans!" Beedro yelled. "You have been all the time!"

"That is not so! I came here to try and help you solve this conflict so you can finally have peace. I was invited here!"

"I never invited you!"

"No. You didn't, and neither did Barra."

Beedro just stared at Jim a moment. "Then who did?" he asked.

"A very old woman who wants to see peace on her world before she dies," Jim said. "She told me how this conflict started. It all started because of prejudice. You can't rule people's lives and expect to have peace."

"You are still part of that rebellion, and you will be taken into custody. You will face judgment on this world! Take him!"

Jim had changed his blaster to stun, and he fired twice, hitting two Antarans, and then he rolled to take out the other two, but then something hard hit him from behind. He hit the floor hard feeling like his head was spinning. The last thing he heard was Beedro saying, "Stun him."

Spock and Bones had run to the back part of the town where Rett was now. She motioned for them to come with her and led them to their hideout. Spock signaled the Enterprise.

"Enterprise," Sulu answered.

"Mister Sulu, can you lock onto the captain's location?" Spock asked.

There was silence a moment. "I'm not getting a reading," Sulu answered. "What's going on?"

"I am not certain. The captain told the doctor and me to run. I am assuming that he is in some sort of trouble."

"I'm still not getting anything."

"Keep trying, Mister Sulu. If you get a signal, beam him to the ship at once."

"Yes, sir."

Bones sighed. He hated running. "What do we do?" he asked.

Spock was not sure what they could do. "We will ask our newfound friends what we can do," he replied. He turned to Rett.

"I don't know what we can do to help your captain," Rett said. "He will most likely be put on trial. They will kill him."

Spock and Bones looked at each other and then at Rett. "He only wanted to bring peace to this world," Bones declared. "Why would they kill him over that?"

"They only want to keep power, and they will stop anyone like your captain who threatens their power."

Bones looked at Spock. "We can't stand by and let them kill Jim," he said.

"No," Spock agreed. "We will not stand by. They have been hostile toward us, and now they have taken our captain when he was only trying to help them. We are involved now as long as they have our captain."

"What are we going to do?"

"We will help this rebellion until we can rescue Jim."

"I'm not sure I want to be in the middle of a war. Can you imagine what it will be like? I'm a doctor, not a soldier."

"Doctor, you are a part of Starfleet. I am a science engineer, but I find myself in many situations that are not related to science and exploration."

"You know why too."

"Clarify."

"Because Jim can't leave anything alone until he gets right down to the last nerve of the problem and it explodes. That's why."

"Are you saying Jim is reckless?"

"I don't know, but with a captain like him, you know we're going to be doing all sorts of things besides our real job."

"I agree that Jim is quite tenacious and adventurous, but I have grown accustomed to…how do you say it…living on the edge?"

"You're a Vulcan. You're not supposed to live for excitement."

"I am also half human."

"You're sounding more like him every day."

"We can debate this further another time, Doctor. Right now, we must try to figure out a way to rescue our captain."

"How? Do we wait till he's been on trial and they're occupied with burning him at the stake or hanging him? Just how do they kill people on this planet?"

Spock turned to Rett. "If they decide to kill the captain, how would they most likely do it?" he asked.

"They would make him a public display to bring fear to anyone who wants to rebel against them," Rett said. "They would most likely either beat him to death or behead him."

Bones' mouth dropped open. "That's brutal," he said.

"Like I said, they want to instill fear in their subjects."

"We must get all the allies together," Spock declared. "We have to stop them."

"I don't know if there is time," Rett replied.

"We must try." Spock turned to his communicator. "Spock to Enterprise."

"Go ahead, Sir," Sulu replied. "I still cannot get a reading on the captain."

"We must figure out a way to rescue the captain. He is in grave danger."

"What do we do?"

"Leave Uhura in charge of the con, and make sure Scotty stays ready to transport the captain at a moment's notice. Bring a transporter beacon. I want you to bring at least seven others with you. We will not allow them to murder our captain to gain fear over the people of this planet."

"Yes sir. I will be down soon. Where should we transport to?"

"Go to Reenata's camp. We must all meet there to get them all together."

"Yes sir."

Spock looked at Rett as he ended the transmission. "How long will it be before they try to execute him?" he asked.

"It could be this evening, or it could be tomorrow," Rett answered. "They will try to make it seem legal."

"Then we must move fast."

Jim woke up with a pounding headache. He groaned as he rolled over onto his back. He looked around him and realized he was in a prison cell. He rubbed his face and then just let his arms fall. He was not sure he could get up at the moment. He let his eyes close again, but then he heard a loud squeak as someone was unlocking the door of the cell. He heard footsteps and then Beedro was standing over him along with two guards.

"Captain James Kirk," Beedro said. "You will stand trial for war crimes, for inciting a rebellion on this planet to overthrow its government."

Jim shook his head. "No," he said. "I didn't…"

"No arguments! You will stand trial."

Jim had no time to argue. The two guards jerked him up from the floor. He felt like the room was spinning as he was suddenly upright. He felt incredibly groggy, and was wondering if they had done more than just stun him. He tried to keep his feet moving as he was herded along. Would this be his fate? Would he die on an alien planet where he was only trying to help them stop fighting? He could not understand why he felt so sleepy. The stun should have worn off by now, but he felt like he had just been shot with it. He did not know how long it had been but he had woke up.

Spock and the others had reached Reenata's camp, and they were all ready for the battle. Bones was nervous as usual. "Spock, this is not our fight," he said.

"We will rescue our captain," Spock replied. "That _is_ our fight. When they took our captain prisoner, they declared war on us. Therefore, we will retaliate."

"But using the Enterprise to attack a foreign government? I'm sure there's something in the Prime Directive about that."

"Doctor McCoy, if we have learned anything from Jim, it is that there are times when the Prime Directive is too far away to know the situation or the circumstances that we face."

"Like I said, you're getting more like him every day."

Sulu came over to Spock. "We're ready, Commander," he said.

"Good. The plan is laid out and everyone will be moving at the same time. We will simultaneously overthrow both governments."

"Are we going to get court marshaled for this?"

"I will take full responsibility for any punishment for our actions today. You are simply following my orders."

"I didn't say I didn't agree with what we're doing."

"Then let's get ready to move, Mister Sulu."

"Yes, Commander."

Jim was taken to a large chamber that actually did look like a court room. There were several Antarans there. Jim was too groggy to decipher whether they were all angry or whether some were upset at the event that was about to take place. He was roughly set into a chair and cuffed to it.

Beedro walked up onto a platform where he had a voice amplification system. "This court has been convened to bring judgment on James Kirk, Captain of the Starship Enterprise. He has come onto our planet, uninvited by either government, and although he has been asked to leave, he has continued to stir up a rebellion, and has conspired with those rebels to overthrow the government." Beedro paused a moment. "I was elected to this position, and this intruder has committed an act of war by his actions to overthrow your government! He must be punished with the most severe punishment! Death!"

Jim could hear what Beedro was saying but he felt as though he could not respond, but he heard a lot of murmuring in the courtroom. Why could he not respond? Had they drugged him?

"Will this intruder not speak for himself?" someone asked. "We want to hear what he has to say in his defense."

"We found it necessary to incapacitate him to keep him under control," Beedro said. "I know what has happened. He came into my office threatening me! My guards heard him!"

"We want to hear him! This is not the first time you have wanted an execution because someone tried to _interfere_ with your government."

Beedro's eyes narrowed as he looked at the one who was talking. Tarall, who was on the council, was not easily fooled, and he believed in justice more than power. "What have you done to this man?" Tarall asked. "Why were we not included in any negotiations that were conducted with him? Who invited him to this planet?"

"No one invited him!" Beedro exclaimed.

Jim was trying to overcome his grogginess enough to speak. "I…"

Everyone looked at Jim suddenly as they heard him speak. "Tell us why you came to this planet," Tarall said.

Jim looked at Tarall who looked very dignified in his blue typical Antaran attire. "I…came to try to make peace on this planet," Jim said, feeling like he was listening to himself somewhere else. "I was sent…by Starfleet."

"We will not go any further with this trial until this man can speak for himself!" Tarall declared. He glared at Beedro. "You will not hide the truth again, Beedro."

"I am not hiding the truth! Do you want this man influencing others on this planet who want to overthrow the government!"

"There are many who want peace, Beedro."

Beedro could see he was losing this argument, and the other council members seemed to agree with Tarall. "I will take this trial before the people of this city," he declared. "You will be taken out of government, Tarall!"

"No! It is you who will be taken out."

Jim wondered what would happen next. He felt like he was hearing it all in a dream. "They…" He wanted so badly to tell Tarall that the rebels were going to attack the government but he could not seem to form the words.

"We will take this man to a physician," Tarall said. "Guards! Bring him!"

"NO!" Beedro yelled and took out a blaster. He fired and hit one of the guards, and would have fired at Jim, but he was stopped by a stun blast from Tarall's weapon.

"Now, take Beedro into custody," Tarall said. "And bring this prisoner to the council chamber."

Jim was taken, much more gently this time, to the council chamber which seemed like an incredibly white room. It reminded him of Delta Vega. He remembered listening to his account of that planet… _It's great if your favorite color is WHITE!_ He had come such a long way since then. Once he was lying down, he sank into sleep…


	6. Chapter 6

Spock was leading a band of Denobulans and Antarans who only wanted peace on their planet. He activated his communicator. "Mister Scott, are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Scotty replied.

"Energize."

Spock and all the people with him were soon at the back side of Antara. "We must be cautious," Spock said. "As we discussed before, this is not a sure win."

"We are brave," Tessa replied.

Spock could see that because they had followed him there. "We are not here to kill, but to change," he reminded them. "We will not become like those who have terrorized this planet."

"We will follow you."

Jim was just starting to wake up, and Tarall was standing beside him. "Young captain, are you able to speak now?" Tarall asked.

Jim considered that. "What happened?" he asked testing his voice.

"Beedro considered you a threat to his power, and he gave you a paralyzing drug, but we have counteracted that. You will most likely need your doctor's care."

Jim realized sunlight was coming through the window. He gasped and tried to sit up. "They're going to…"

Just then, they heard chaos on the street and what sounded like a small explosion. Tarall was alarmed. "I tried to warn him!" Jim said, but he thought it sounded incredibly slow. "My communicator."

Tarall picked up the communicator from a table. "Is this what you are looking for?"

Jim nodded as he took the communicator. "Spock! Spock!"

"Captain!" Spock replied.

"Spock…" Jim felt like he was floating. "Stop." He knew what he wanted to say but could not seem to get the words to come.

"Captain, are you alright?"

"Spock, the…" Jim looked up at Tarall and gave him the communicator.

Tarall was not sure what to say. "I am Tarall," he said boldly. "Your captain is safe. We wish to hear what you have to say. Beedro has been arrested."

Spock was surprised at this news. "Where is the captain?" he asked. "I want to see him."

"He needs your physician. He was given a powerful paralyzing drug. We want to negotiate a treaty."

"Where are you?"

"We are in the council chamber."

Spock found Sulu. "We must find the council chamber," Spock said. "The captain is there. We must rescue him and get back to the ship."

"Aren't we going to help them anymore?" Sulu asked. "They're just getting started. They're fighting against an army."

"I realize that, Mister Sulu, but our primary goal here is to rescue our captain, and their struggle is giving us the cover to do that. Maybe we will find a way to stop this battle."

Bones and Sulu followed Spock into the government building and they were met with resistance. However, they got through the guards who were still there and went on to find the council chamber which was on the uppermost floor. The turbo lift was not working so they would have to climb their way up. "I hate this," Bones said as they were running up stairs.

Jim could hear all the commotion outside the building, including sirens and alarms. Tarall just stood beside him waiting for the others to arrive. He looked out the window as he waited. He knew that peace was always fought for. Unity only came through battles. He looked at Jim who was struggling to overcome the affects of the drug. He had never seen anyone so determined.

After several minutes, Spock, Bones, and Sulu burst through the door of the council chamber. Tarall stood with his hands out to let them know he was not fighting. "Your captain is here," he said.

Spock did not lower his phaser as the doctor hurried over to Jim. "What did you give him?" Bones asked angrily.

"I did not give him anything," Tarall answered. "Beedro gave him the drug. We have arrested him and he is being detained."

Bones looked at Spock. "I need to know what was given to him," he said. "And I need to know now."

Spock turned to Tarall. "You must know what is given to prisoners," he said. "Show the doctor what was given to him."

"Come with me," Tarall replied.

"Mister Sulu, accompany the doctor and Tarall."

"Yes sir," Sulu said.

"Keep a careful eye on him."

"Yes sir."

Spock moved over to Jim. "The people have started the uprising, Jim," Spock said.

Jim thought it was getting hard to breathe. He grabbed Spock's arm. He wanted to say something but he could not.

Spock opened his communicator. "Doctor, you must hurry," he said.

"I'm working on it!" Bones replied.

Bones followed Tarall into the prison area and showed him the drugs that were given to restrain prisoners. "Don't you realize that Jim is not an Antaran!" Bones asked angrily. "Who knows what kind of effect this could have on him!"

"Like I said, I did not give it to him," Tarall replied in his calm way. "I gave him the counteraction."

"You tried to counteract a drug that you don't…" Bones was flabbergasted and furious. "I have to know what's in these drugs! Do you even have the ingredients that are in these?"

"I can let you talk to one of our physicians and they can tell you anything you want to know."

"Let's get them then."

Spock sat beside Jim who was looking up at the ceiling, but he seemed to be more alert. "I can't move my feet," Jim said quietly.

"The doctor is working on finding a way to help you, Jim," Spock replied.

"Bones is a good doctor."

"Yes, and he will find a way to help you."

"I guess I should have listened to you this time."

Spock's communicator twittered at him. "Spock here," he said.

"Spock, take Jim back to the ship," Bones said. "I have to get an IV into him. I have the ingredients that are in the drugs but it's going to take time."

"I think we should all go back to the ship. This battle belongs to the ones who inhabit this planet."

"I agree with that."

Spock contacted Uhura and told them to beam everyone to the ship. They were soon all there, and Jim was taken to the medical bay. Bones got the IV started and then worked on a cure.

Spock sat on the Bridge wondering how things were going on the planet. It was the next morning there, and they had not heard anything from Reenata or Tarall. He hoped that the rebels had been reasonable and had let Tarall talk to them when they met. He was sure they had gotten into the government building by now, and maybe Tarall had convinced them that he wanted to hear what they had to say.

Suddenly, he heard the intercom beep. "Spock, we're being hailed from the planet," Uhura said.

"On screen," Spock replied as he stood up.

Reenata's face appeared on the screen. "Mister Spock," she said.

"Reenata. How are things going?"

"Everything is going fine. How is that handsome captain of yours?"

Uhura and the others on the Bridge could not help but smile at that reference. "The doctor is helping him," Spock said.

"When he is well enough, we would like him to come down and talk with us and help us to come to an agreement now that things are not so hostile."

"I will relay that message to him, and I am sure he will be happy to help you."

"We thank you for all you have done, and we will prepare a feast for you and your crew."

"That sounds…tasty," Spock said using the word that Jim had used.

"Let us know when we can speak with him."

"I will."

The transmission ended and Spock looked at Mister Sulu. "It seems we have another dinner to attend," Spock said. "Mister Sulu, you have the con."

Spock left the Bridge and went to the medical bay. "How is the captain?" he asked.

"Well, other than a bad headache and probably a stomach ache, and maybe some sore feet, I think he's going to be fine," Bones replied as he leaned over Jim to give him another injection. "There should be laws about giving people medications without being a doctor."

"Remember, Doctor, we were dealing with a power mad, angry person who did not care about the laws. Furthermore, I do not believe there are any firm laws in place on the planet because of the constant battles and the disagreements. However, I do believe that is about to change. They have asked that the captain come to a celebration feast in his honor, and that he oversee talks with the two sides to help them set up their new government."

Bones was surprised by this news. "Jim? They want him to help them set up a government? Do they really know who this is? A person who breaks all the rules all the time."

" _All the time_ seems to be a stretch of the truth, Doctor."

"Maybe just a little, but I'll just bet it's not screaming with pain."

Spock had never seen anyone who could think of more metaphors and puns than Leonard McCoy. Every time he was with the doctor, he spent part of the time figuring out the meanings of his metaphors. "Let me know when he is awake," he said.

Bones thought the bruising around Jim's side wound was even worse, but he had worked on that a little as well. For a peace keeping mission, this had certainly turned into trouble for Jim.

After about an hour, Jim woke up. He looked around him and realized he was still in the medical bay. He sat up trying to remember how he got there. "Hey, lay down there," Bones said.

"What happened?" Jim asked.

"You don't remember? You tried to negotiate with that Beedro and…"

"Yeah. Did Reenata and the others attack?"

"Yeah, and Spock has some news for you." Bones opened his communicator. "Commander Spock, our patient is awake."

Jim rubbed his face. "I feel like I've been asleep forever," he said.

"No, just all night. Took me a while to get all that drug out of your system. You know, one more dose of that, or just a little bit bigger dose, and you wouldn't be talking right now."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. I have a suggestion for your next talk with them…tell them to make it illegal for anyone to administer drugs besides a doctor."

Jim scowled. "What?"

Just then, Spock walked in. "Captain, I am glad to see you awake and sitting up," he said.

"So, what's going on?" Jim asked.

"A most interesting turn of events, Captain. You are to be the guest of honor at a feast on the planet."

Jim's mouth dropped open. "What? A feast?"

"Yes, Captain. Reenata has requested that you negotiate their peace treaty and that you help them set up their new government."

Jim was dumbfounded for a moment. "Me?"

"Yes, and she seems to find you quite attractive."

"Really?"

"She refers to you as _that young handsome captain._ She wants to know when you are able to attend a feast in your honor."

"What for?"

"Because you risked your life to confront Beedro and it was your efforts that helped bring his treachery to light."

Jim was not sure what to say but he knew he could not disappoint Reenata. Her smile was so warm, she reminded him of his own grandmother. He thought about that food he would have to endure. "Don't forget the stomach medicine, Bones," he said.

Bones rolled his eyes at that. "So when are we going?" he asked.

"I'll contact Reenata and find out as soon as I get into something else."

Jim changed into his regular uniform this time, and then he had Uhura hail the planet. Soon, Tarall's face was on the screen along with Reenata. "Greetings," Jim said.

"Captain Kirk," Reenata said. "How are you?"

"I'm much better, Ma'am. I hear that you're trying to reach an agreement."

"Yes. We have discussed many things, and we have found that Tarall would be a splendid governor…along with Denari of the Denobulans."

"That sounds fine, but what do you need me for? It sounds like you have everything in order."

"Oh, we want you to be a neutral party, and you risked your life to help us. We will have a big feast right here in the city. For the first time in many years, the Denobulans and the Antarans will feast together. There are some who do not agree of course, but they will see that this is better."

"I hope you're right."

"We are preparing a great feast for you and your crew. Come and let's talk, and at sundown we will celebrate."

Jim swallowed hard thinking of the taste of that meat he had eaten. "We'll be there," he said.

The transmission ended and Jim sighed. Spock stood beside him. "I wonder if they will prepare the same thing, Captain," he said.

"Let's hope they have something less…tasty," Jim replied.

"You could simply explain to them that alien foods do not agree with you."

"Now, come on, Spock, you know I can't do that, right? Besides, it's an adventure all in itself to taste alien foods."

"But you know they always upset your digestion."

"It hasn't killed me yet." Jim looked at him. "You ate it."

"Vulcan's have…"

"Never mind. I don't want a Vulcan anatomy lesson. Leave a skeleton crew on the ship and let's go down there."

"Sir, I don't mind staying," Sulu said. "I don't like tasting alien foods."

"Sure," Jim replied. "You can keep everything in order here while we're down there." He looked at Spock. "I suppose we go down and…somehow, I think we're about to do the easy part."

"I'm with you, Captain."

Jim, Spock, Uhura, Bones, and Scotty, along with much of the crew went down to the planet. The first thing was to talk out the peace agreement. Jim hoped it would go better than last time. He certainly did not want to be pulled in half. Spock went with him along with Scotty, Uhura, and Bones. Jim had no desire to go alone again. They would all be witness to what he said this time.

Reenata met him at the door with a big smile and a warm hug. "This is the happiest day I have had in many years," she said.

"I don't think I had much to do with it," Jim replied.

"Don't be silly. You upset the whole fabric of the problem, and that was what started the ball rolling. Now, our children can play without worrying about a battle starting. Maybe some of them are young enough to forget."

"I hope so." Jim wished he could forget some of the bad things he saw and heard when he was a kid. It was all mostly from his stepfather, and his mother did not know it. For a long time, he had even blamed her because he felt like she had abandoned them and did not care…but he supposed they reminded her of what she lost and it was hard for her.

They went into the council chamber which was full of Denobulans and Antarans. Jim had to admit, he had thought he would not see this at all for a while. He sat down in the chair Reenata indicated for him, and the others sat in other areas of the building. He wondered what he was about to hear and he looked toward his crew whom he knew would support him and would spring into action if something unforeseen happened.

As the session began, Jim realized that he had nothing to worry about because everyone spoke with respect to one another and voiced their opinions of what the government should be like. He made a lot of notes and listened to all of them and even gave a few opinions of his own. He talked to them about having equality and freedom to speak out about things they disagreed with, because holding opinions and feeling like one's opinion is not important is what causes hard feelings and stirs up trouble. "Everyone's opinion matters," he said. "What affects one may not affect another, and what is important to one may not be important to another, but we are all affected by different things and that is why government has to expand to compensate for all the people."

Once that session was over, Jim was relieved somewhat. He could not say that he had done anything like this before. He also knew that feast was coming. "You did very well, Captain," Spock said as they came together with Jim.

"Absolutely," Uhura agreed. "I was surprised that they were so peaceful about it and didn't argue."

"Arguing will not give them what they want," Jim said. "I think these people are well on their way to changing their way of life."

"I am still concerned, Captain," Spock said. "I think this meeting might have been _too_ peaceful. Where are the ones who do not agree with the merging of the two species?"

Jim had not wanted to bring that up, but he knew if there was some concern, Spock would not let it go by. "He's right," Bones put in. "I hope they're not waiting for them all to settle into a sense of well-being and then suddenly attack."

"Maybe they think they're outnumbered now," Jim said. "Maybe they will see that this is the best way to live rather than trying to separate two species who are related."

"I don't know."

"There's nothing we can do about it right now. Unless something happens, we can hope that things are going to be good for them."

The feast was huge. There was a table that extended down several blocks of the city, and Jim could see why because it seemed that everyone was there, and it also seemed that they were actually glad to see each other. He saw some who stood apart from the others and stared as though they were uncertain, and some who also stared looking angry about the whole situation.

Reenata grabbed Jim's arm and led him to what looked like a stage. "Our ambassador from the United Federation of Planets," she said. "He has helped us bring peace to this planet. He is our guest of honor tonight."

Jim felt almost embarrassed at the huge round of applause. He did not think he had done so much to help. They had rebelled and fought for it. That battle had lasted until they had taken over the government buildings. He was thankful that the governors had mostly ruled with fear rather than a standing army. However, the battle had gone on most of a day and a night, but he thought everyone on this planet was tired of fighting. Everyone on the planet mostly had battle experience anyway. He wondered how their battles had gone in the past. He would try and find out before he left, but right now, he had to choke down some more food. He could already smell whatever had been cooking…and it smelled worse than what he had eaten the last time.

Jim fixed himself a plate and sat down, and of course, Bones was right next to him. He looked at Bones. "You're always interested in this part, aren't you?" he asked.

"Well, I am a doctor," Bones replied. "I like to see what affect alien foods have on people, and since I've known you, I've learned a lot."

"Thank you, Bones. I guess I'm the first captain you've ever known."

"I've treated quite a few."

Jim picked up a piece of the meat and looked at it while Bones looked over his shoulder. "It almost looks like chicken, doesn't it?" Bones asked.

"Sorta," Jim replied.

"Except for those little pink spots in it. I wonder what that is. Maybe it's some sort of parasite that doesn't bother the Antaran or Denobulan gut. Maybe they have an iron stomach like our Vulcan friend."

"Bones."

"Not to mention that smell. Almost smells like menthol."

Jim closed his eyes as he thought Bones could make anything worse. "Do you have to describe my food for me when I'm eating?" he asked.

Spock sat down on the other side of Bones and Uhura sat down as well, but Scotty sat down across from Jim. "Are you actually going to eat that, Captain?" he asked as he looked at the food with interest.

"I don't need an audience," Jim said. "Wow. Don't you guys have something better to do? Why don't you try it, Bones?"

"Are you kidding?" Bones asked. "I'd rather eat dirt."

"I wouldn't," Scotty said. "At least this has been cooked."

"Yeah, but in what? Menthol?"

"It does have a distinctive smell, doesn't it?"

"If you guys don't shut up, I'm going to hurl before I ever take a bite," Jim declared.

Just then, Reenata arrived at the table and sat down at the end beside Jim. All the others sat up then but they still watched their captain. He thought maybe he could get away with only taking one bite if he could engage Reenata in a conversation.

"How do you like this delicious meal?" Reenata asked.

"Oh, I was just about to try it," Jim said.

"It's quite tasty."

Jim was sure it had a strong taste if nothing else. He went ahead and took a bite at the same time Reenata did. His stomach protested already, and he supposed it was wondering how he was expecting it to digest something like that. He tried to convince his brain that he was eating a cough drop…or peppermint. That was what it tasted like, although it had that meat flavor too. It was the most horrible taste he had ever put in his mouth, but he supposed if he was a Denobulan or Antaran, it would taste good because Reenata savored it.

Scotty sat watching the captain eat that. He did not attempt to eat the meat, but he did try the dessert, which was extremely sweet. He wondered if this was a planet of extreme flavors. Bones wondered if the inhabitants of the planet had little sense of taste and maybe that was why they used such strong flavors. He could not ask because he supposed it would be very rude.

Spock did not even like the meat flavor. Uhura leaned over to him. "I can't believe you're eating that," she whispered.

"Well, since the captain has to partake of the food, I think it is only fair that one of us share in his misery," Spock replied.

"That's very noble of you."

"Thank you."

"Did you taste that fruit?"

"Not yet. I do believe these inhabitants have a poor sense of taste."

"I would agree."

"The meat has a distinctive menthol flavor."

"I feel sorry for the captain," Uhura said. "He has to sit right beside Reenata, and he certainly doesn't want to hurt her feelings."

"There are many different attitudes and feelings expressed here," Spock pointed out. "Have you noticed that some are lingering in the background and only watching? I believe they are not certain whether they are ready to give up their old way of life, and still, there are others who are watching with disgust."

"Do you think it will ever work, Spock?"

"Only with determination and as long as they listen to everyone's concerns, even the ones that seem to be unreasonable."

"They have to find some common ground somewhere. Right?"

"Exactly. I have heard my ancestors talk of when humans first saw Vulcans and how some thought we were…weird. However, they found that we are a peaceful race and we do not shun others. There were some Vulcans who thought humans were weird, and showed too much emotion, but we all learned to accept one another."

"I guess acceptance is the key."

"Not only that but each has to stop thinking that the other does not accept them as well, and realize that they are all different, but difference is something good."

Uhura smiled, and then looked at the captain again. "I guess we have all learned to accept differences," she said. "The captain has come a long way."

"Yes, he has."

Jim finished the piece of meat he was eating, thankful that he had finally reached the last bite…but he also felt like his sinuses were totally clear. The drink he had tonight was extremely sweet as was the fruit. He looked at Bones who was still watching him eat. "Try the fruit," he said.

"Are you kidding?" Bones asked. "I'd rather starve."

"Try it, Bones. That's an order."

Bones could see the amused look on Jim's face. "An order?" he asked.

"Yeah. Now try it."

Bones was incredulous. "You can't order me to eat that," he declared.

"The fruit's not that bad, although it's way too sweet. I don't think there are any bland foods on this planet."

Bones looked at the fruit and picked up a small piece. "If this kills me, I'm going to kill you before I die," he said.

Jim chuckled at that and watched Bones eat the piece of fruit. Bones chewed for a moment. "Hey, that's not too bad," he said and took another bite.

"You're kidding," Jim said.

"No."

Jim looked across the table at Scotty who was trying several of the drinks. "I think he has a sweet tooth," Jim said.

"I agree, Captain. I think anyone would have to have a sweet tooth to eat that."

Jim rubbed his stomach as it was not too happy with what he had just put in it. He tried drinking some of the drink he had but it tasted like a mixture of mint, nutmeg and some sort of fruity taste, but it was all very overwhelming. He thought it might actually taste good if not for the strong taste. He looked at Reenata and swallowed again before he attempted to talk.

"Your foods here have a very interesting flavor," Jim said. "You use a lot of spices. I would assume that your people do not have a strong sense of taste."

"You would assume correctly," Reenata replied. "Are the flavors too strong for you?"

"Just a little."

Tarall came over to the table where they sat. "I have been talking with Denari," he said. "She has some very interesting ideas…and she is a very interesting woman."

Jim almost smiled at that. "I think the Antarans and the Denobulans have been missing out on a lot," he said. "But I also think that is going to change for a better thing."

"I agree. Don't you think it has been a peaceful transition?"

"It has. I do still think you have a long way to go, but I am hoping that those who disagree with you will finally realize that it's better this way."

"I'm sure they will."

When the dinner was over, Jim and the others went with everyone else as there was a dance now. Uhura smiled as she looked at Spock. "Well, do you want to join the dance?" she asked.

Spock looked at her with his usual inquisitive look. "I am not accustomed to participating in…dancing," he said.

Uhura almost laughed. "You can try anything just once. If you can eat that food, you can do this."

"I suppose that is a reasonable way to see it. However, eating and dancing are very different."

"You can do it for me, right?"

"For you."

Jim smiled at that exchange. "This woman is good for you, Spock," he said. He realized that even Bones was drifting away to find a dancing partner. He supposed the crew would have a good time tonight and then they would be on their way again. After all, it was what their mission was about…exploring new worlds and discovering new life forms.


End file.
